WESTFIELD—A local businessman has gathered volunteers to help and donate tools to aid the clean-up efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.
Nabil Hannoush and volunteers have come together to assemble, package and send out tools from his business, ErgieSystems, to help those affected by the hurricane in the Houston area. According to Hannoush, there will be over 1,000 tools, including Ergie brooms, rakes and shovels, that will be sent out, totaling around $100,000 in product value.
Volunteers work to assemble and package a variety of Ergie tools. The tools will be sent to the Houston area to help with the clean-up efforts following Hurricane Harvey.
“I want to do whatever I can to help,” Hannoush said. “Food and shelter are the first needs, and after that it’s clean-up time. We want to help them.”
The efforts are underway at Palmer Dedicated Logistics on South Broad Street, where several boxes are being filled with assembled tools and getting ready to be put onto trucks for delivery. According to Hannoush, Palmer Dedicated Logistics is assisting in the job, as well.
Once the tools are packaged, Hannoush said that they have collaborated with Federal Express to ship the tools to Walmart distribution centers located in areas most affected by Hurricane Harvey. Then, Hannoush said, the American Red Cross takes over.
Rep. John Velis smiles as he operates a pallet jack. On the pallet are a number of Ergie tools that are ready to be sent to the Houston area to help clean-up efforts following Hurricane Harvey.
Hannoush said that trucks were going to start today and that there was no set time that the efforts would finish.
“Whenever we’re done,” he said. “We’re working diligently to get everything done.”
According to Hannoush, there were several different volunteers assisting the efforts. These people have included Rep. John Velis and Ward Two City Councilor Ralph Figy.
“What makes this country great is people willing to help each other,” Velis said.
In addition to familiar faces, some came to help that Hannoush said he did not know.
“People I’ve never met before are showing up with tools. That’s the American spirit,” he said.
“We want to help and want to be there. This is the next best thing,” Natalie Avery, a Westfield resident who volunteered and was assisting at the South Broad Street warehouse, said. “It’s not anything I can say ‘no’ to.”
According to Avery, she expected to be at the site the entire day to assist.
“I’m just lucky enough to be able to do it. I’m blessed enough to be here,” she said.
