Claremore Couple Collecting Donations For Kentucky Tornado Victims

A couple from Claremore has been collecting donations for those in Kentucky and now they're getting ready to head that way to lend a helping hand.

Steve and Tanya Mank saw a need that they could help meet. The couple also felt called to serve in Kentucky.

The Mank's travel quite a bit for business and were in Indianapolis, 150 miles away when the tornado flattened much of Mayfield, Kentucky.

"My mom and my sister live in St. Louis. We literally watched it go over them specifically in the area they live in. We were in Indianapolis watching the weather in Indianapolis because the threat was that it was also gonna go from St. Louis straight to Indianapolis," said Steve Mank. "We were in it on the 15th floor of a hotel in downtown, getting pummeled while we were watching what was going on in Kentucky because of our friends down there and texting them and talking to them."

The Mank's were driving home when they decided they had to help.

"We heard about nothing but this on the radio on the radio," said Steve Mank.

Steve reached out to the First United Methodist Church in Claremore and offered his trailer.

"We'll do the driving; we'll provide the time," said Steve Mank.

Steve said winter is coming so they're collecting tools, coats, toys, blankets, gloves, hats, toiletries, dry pet food, electric space heaters, diesel fuel and generators.

Associate Pastor Tim Mchugh was just in Mayfield to deliver groceries.

"People are listening to the call. That's important. They're listening to the need. In disaster response, that's key. To sit back and listen to what's needed and then react to that need," said Tim Mchugh, First United Methodist Church.

He said the devastation is terrible.

"As soon as you get over that 303 bridge in Kentucky, in Mayfield it's, I mean, it's leveled. There's nothing there," said Tim Mchugh, First United Methodist Church. "The devastation is incredible. Semi-trucks rolled around; huge pieces of sheet metal stuck in trees; trailer parks completely blown away."

Mchugh said the best thing you can do after a disaster is show up for people.

"This is the season to show love and give people hope," said Tim Mchugh, First United Methodist Church. "There was a beautiful, beautiful Methodist church there that's completely gone, you know, from the 1800s. It's just gone. A lot of the older district in Mayfield is just gone."

Mchugh is asking people to donate things like family games, gingerbread house-making kits, and ornaments.

"If they're living in a shelter, it'd still be kind of cool to celebrate Christmas in some way," said Tim Mchugh.

The Mank's will head to Kentucky early Thursday morning.

"We always get there, and we'll see you guys when we get back," said Steve Mank.

The Mank's said they plan to take as many trips to Kentucky, as necessary.

"They need us for Christmas more than we need to be at home eating turkey for Christmas," said Steve Mank.

As more donations keep rolling in, they'll be prepared to roll out of town. Steve Mank said his friends in Kentucky are going to meet up and help join the effort.

"It's unreal what people have inside of them. When all the stuff that bogs us down every day isn't involved and now, you're doing what you need to do, it's amazing what people do," said Steve Mank.