- A Woodville neighbor organized a big community giveaway with hundreds of clothing items, hygiene products and food.
- The goal was to give back to a community still healing from May 10th tornado destruction.
- Watch the video to hear from neighbors still in recovery and what this means to them.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Capping off 2024 with an act of kindness. I'm Kenya Cardonne, your neighborhood reporter in Woodville, where neighbors packed a room with all kinds of resources that the town is in need of as they continue healing from the May 10th tornado destruction.
Juanita Webster, Organizer - "Well my mission is to just give back."
Giving back to her hometown of Woodville is what Juanita Webster has spent her last three birthdays doing.
She had at least 900 items laid out at the Woodville Community Center for neighbors in need of free clothes and hygiene products.
Amanda Lea Brown, Neighbor - "My kids are growing up like, they're getting older. So, I don't have the money to go out and just buy them what they need every, you know, every day."
Neighbors I spoke with say this kind of financial and emotional break is just what the town needs after tornadoes tore it apart in May.
Webster - "It was definitely devastating to see. Heartbreaking for sure."
Brown - "Horrible, horrible. It took three weeks to get power back here."
Destruction that hasn't been easy to overcome for many in Woodville.
Webster - "People are slowly coming out of the bad situation and just praying that nothing else happens while they are building themselves back up."
Our First to Know Chief Meteorologist Casanova Nurse talked us through the severe weather that impacted part of the Big Bend early Sunday morning.
Nurse - "A tornado watch is in effect for most of our local counties."
Just the thought of a possibility of a tornado is something Webster says brought back a bit of trauma, but not enough to shut down her mission to help Woodville neighbors heal.
Brown - "Yeah, it was so nerve-wracking and scary. You know, my aunt called and she was like, 'Well, we still gonna do this, because this is something that we're giving to the community, and you know, God has us, so we're good, we're gonna be in good hands.' She said 'It's gonna clear up and we're going to be just fine,' and that's exactly what happened."
They also gave out a free hot meal to every neighbor who stopped by.
In Woodville, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27
