By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Donations collected in Chilton County are heading to Ocala, Florida on Oct. 6.

Jimmie Hardee and Terrell Thomas are driving the 20 pallets worth of supplies to Crossroads Alliance & Ministries.

Chilton Baptist Association, several local churches, Merchant’s Food Service, students in Jemison, LeCroy Career Tech Center and Verbena as well as numerous residents and anonymous donors contributed to the cause.

“I’m proud of the people of Chilton County coming together to support those who are going through the disaster,” Jimmie Hardee said. “It’s good to be God’s hands and feet extended.”

Hardee said New Hope Baptist in Deatsville also donated pallets of bleach.

“We are not only going to help people in Florida,” Hardee said.

Crossroads Alliance will also distribute needed items to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which were heavily damaged by Hurricane Maria.

Hardee said he had an anonymous donor call to say they would reimburse the cost of fuel for delivering the supplies.

“I find it amazing that people donated grills,” Hardee said. “I would have never thought about a grill. If you don’t have anywhere to cook, where are you going to cook? A grill.”

Others donated school supplies.

Pallets of canned food and other cleaning supplies were also among the donations.

Hardee said it was good that the supplies were going to be delivered now because giving to disaster relief often dwindles after the first month.

The donations were sorted by item before being loaded on to a tractor trailer, so that the organization in Ocala could spend less time trying to figure out what was in each container.

Extra boxes and pallets will also be transported to Crossroads Alliance.