DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Cape Coral councilwoman with Texas roots and a Fort Myers restaurant owner are teaming up to collect essential supplies for victims of devastating floods in Kerrville, Texas. They need someone to bring the supplies to Austin.
Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, a Cape Coral council member representing District 4, established a fund through the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the Hill Country Community Foundation to directly support families affected by the flooding.
"I have many friends back home who were affected by this tragedy, either their family members, children, grandchildren, who were at that camp," Nelson-Lastra said.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price explain how you can help:
The councilwoman, a native Texan, has a personal connection to the area.
"I actually learned how to tread water in the Guadalupe River, so it caught my attention," Nelson-Lastra said.
Nelson-Lastra was attending Cape Coral's Red White and Boom celebration when she received the devastating news about her hometown. But then, she found out the tragedy hit especially close to home.
"I just found out that our federal lobbyist in the City of Cape Coral lost her two 8-year-old twin nieces," Nelson-Lastra said.
She quickly mobilized her connections to create a safe way for people in Southwest Florida to donate money and supplies.
"I made sure that that money will go directly to the families and the families that were affected, to the victims who passed away, that money can be used for their needs, whether it's covering funeral costs, whether it's helping them get into housing again, or just helping them figure out next steps," Nelson-Lastra said.
Genevieve Bruno, owner of Bruno's of Brooklyn Italian Eatery, saw a social media post from a regular customer who wanted to help and decided to get involved.
"We've tried to continuously use our resources and networking to give back to the community during hurricanes. Any kind of support was needed in the area, we use our resources to assist as well as, of course, ourselves," Bruno said. "And this is definitely a case where it's hitting home. It's one of the states in the United States, and definitely everyone here has people who can relate to this tragedy."
This isn't the first time Bruno's restaurant has served as a collection point for disaster relief. Bruno recalled how her husband had previously helped with relief efforts for North Carolina's natural disaster victims.
"We did tremendous for North Carolina. I think she had a whole U-Haul of stuff from us," Bruno said.
Bruno's of Brooklyn Italian Eatery will serve as a drop-off location for donations to help those affected by the floods in Kerrville, Texas. They're collecting essential items like baby supplies, hygiene kits, water, diapers, and cleaning products.
Bruno's of Brooklyn, Italian Eatery
Address: 2149 First St, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: (239) 278-0211
"So, I see a lot of things for babies, of course, hygiene kits, water, diapers, any type of cleaning products, unfortunately, the things that we're very familiar with in the hurricane," Bruno said.
First-aid kits and water are also crucial needs. Bruno said they'll continue collecting donations "as long as they tell me I can."
Nelson-Lastra said they are still seeking someone to donate a truck for transporting the collected items and a driver to take them to Texas.
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