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Pittsburgh Company Sending Truckload Of Supplies To Florida

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SEWICKLEY, Pa. (KDKA) – Hurricane Michael made landfall as an unprecedented Category 4, destroying homes and lives in it's wake.

An now, Pittsburghers are coming together to help out the families who will need to rebuild.

One Pittsburgh company, Esmark, is sending a truckload of supplies to Florida.

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Photo Courtesy of Esmark

Esmark, based in Sewickley, has roots in the steel industry and now wants to help people in need by filling a truck with supplies. The truck will head to Florida on Sunday.

Case by case, pallet by pallet, Pittsburghers lend a helping hand.

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Photo Credit: KDKA

"I've seen a lot of people asking online if people have dry blankets things like that that you don't think about, when the roof comes off everything they have is wet," Jackie McHenry of Quaker Valley said.

For Jackie McHenry, the relief efforts for this hurricane are personal. She was born and raised in Panama City, Florida.

"I know that there is some minor damage at my sister's house and I know that my mom is kind of trapped and they're blocked in because of all the trees and stuff and they did have a tree fall on their house," McHenry said.

That's why McHenry brought her two sons out to Esmark's parking lot on Saturday – along with the rest of the Quaker Valley Hockey Team.

"Actually there's 3 of the Quaker Valley kids that are loading the trucks today," Esmark's CEO Jim Bouchard said. "Two of their grandparents and one of our their aunts houses are totally gone and Katie Regan, our director of communications, her grandfather is down there- his house survived"

Bouchard set up the large truck in the company's parking lot and said he is excited to see Pittsburghers step up and help.

"When this one hit it just kind of was in a rural area of Florida so we knew it was going be pretty bad," he said.

Plus, it gives people like McHenry some peace of mind until she reunites with her family.

"You see the things people are going through and you want to help you just want to reach out and give them a hug," she said.

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