A man just did the most important shopping of his life when he walked into a Costco in Florida and left with 100 power generators – all of which will be sent to the disaster-stricken Bahamas.
The rest of the big purchase was made up of peas, beans, coffee, salt, pepper, and other essentials. In total, the man spent $49,285.70, with most coming from paying $450 a pop for a hundred power generators bought from a Costco in Jacksonville, Florida.
All of these supplies will go to the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco.
“About 100 generators and a truckload of food and chainsaws are all going over by boat on Thursday to Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas. It’s terrible and I’m sure you’ve seen the photos,” a farmer from Jacksonville informed CNN on Wednesday.
The man wishes to remain anonymous. He said he doesn’t want to be the subject of the spotlight and would prefer that people focus on helping those affected by Hurricane Dorian.
“It’s important that we help each other out. It’s better than just sitting there,” he said. “You see a need and you fill it.”
This man’s heroic deed is making news now because another customer was at that Costco buying his own generator to replace the one he had at home that was going out. While at the store, he overheard someone talking about what the farmer just did.
“I had to go up there to him and say, ‘Thank you for doing this,'” Alec Sprague said. “I am so glad to see someone doing this.”
Sprague took a photo of the donor from behind and also shared snapshots of the power generators that he bought.
Trucks will transport the supplies to Stuart, Florida where the farmer set up a storage facility so the items could then be moved by boat to the Bahamas. There, a local Bahamian and a longtime friend of the farmer’s named Errol Thurston will take over.
Thurston is a boat captain who operates a guide service in Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas. The two men have been friends since the early 2000s when they met in the Bahamas.
Thurston’s hometown was hit by the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian last week. He left the island to safeguard a client’s boat in Florida days before the storm crossed the island. He’s with his wife, Mercedes, who resides and works in Florida as a dean at a high school.
Thurston sought the help of friends and fellow boaters to help and transport the supplies back home to the Bahamas.
“We are trying to book a slot on a container ship that regularly services the Abacos and Grand Bahama,” Thurston told CNN. “The guys are doing everything in their power to get us in a slot there. They know the desperation the people really need these items.”
If the wait for the container ship is too long, the boater says his alternative plan would involve a lot of boats and planes.
“We have a lot of guys with planes to take it over. There are hundreds of local captains with boats who are ready on standby to take the generators and chainsaws by boat,” he said.
Boats will carry the power generators while the planes will carry the lighter supplies such as tarps, food, water, medicine, and other necessities.
Thurston had been collecting necessities from across Florida, and the priority is to bring food and water to the islands as soon as possible. Several boat shops and other local businesses are serving as drop-off points for donations.
It’s beautiful to see a community of people coming together with a common goal – to help a nation back on its feet.
We pray that everyone in the Bahamas remains safe and recovers from this horrendous disaster.