HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – A Huntsville organization is asking for monetary and supply donations for those affected by Hurricane Ian.

“We go into disaster areas or be boots on the ground, whatever’s needed,” said Saint Zita Disaster Relief and Recovery Coordinator Linda Pohuski.

Saint Zita Disaster Relief and Recovery is organizing a disaster relief fund for those affected by the recent Hurricane Ian. The storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday and is expected to make landfall again along the coast of South Carolina on Friday.

Pohuski said she has watched as floodwaters washed into Florida cities, and as crews rescue people from their homes, she and her organization are preparing to help in the coming weeks.

“We need things like shovels and demo tools because you have to pull things off your walls,” Pohuski said. “You have to do mold remediation and things like that.”

The organization is collecting items for cleanup, hygiene, and food. After these items are collected, Saint Zita Disaster Relief will coordinate with groups in the hardest-hit areas of Florida.

“We actually take the supplies down ourselves, and then we look at organizations like churches in the area that we want to go and see if they have a distribution site that we take the supplies to,” Pohuski said.

Checks can be made to St. Joesph Church with the memo “Disaster Relief.” The checks can be mailed or dropped off at the church, located at 2300 Beasley Avenue, Huntsville, Ala., from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7. They can also be dropped off or mailed to 213 Dove Hallow Drive, Meridianville, Ala. by Oct. 9.

A list of supplies you can donate is listed above.

Supplies will be accepted through Sunday, Oct. 9 at these locations:

• 213 Dove Hallow Drive, Meridianville, Ala.
• 144 Belle Ridge Road, Madison, Ala.
• 7228 Stratton Drive, Huntsville, Ala.
• 2207 Shades Crest Road, Huntsville, Ala. (leave by the garage door)

For more information, you can contact (256)-828-3706.

Saint Zita Disaster Relief was born out of a group of North Alabamians that responded to the 2011 tornado outbreak. Since then, the organization has responded to a number of natural disasters, including Hurricane Ida and the 2021 tornado that hit western Kentucky.

“We’ve seen people that come in and are so gracious,” Pohuski said. “They don’t want to talk about it at first, but when you start talking to them, they just want to tell their stories. The items are good, but they just want to tell their story.”

Pohuski said the work is all about helping those in need.