Truck convoy delivers hay, supplies to Nebraska flood victims

Many in our region continue to deal with the effects of flooding and many are looking to do what they can to make a difference in those people’s lives.

A convoy of trucks from North Dakota headed to Fullerton, Neb. to help out with flood relief.

Derek Jilek along with Chris Kubal organized the convoy.

Jilek tells KSFY News that he kept seeing all of the destruction the flooding had caused.

So he sat down with Kubal and they both knew that they needed to help.

They put a Facebook post out, asking for donations of hay and it grew from there.

The convoy took 9 loads, around 200 tons of hay, and $13,000 in fencing supplies and a trailer full of household goods.

Jilek said when people in North and South Dakota found out about this, the support was overwhelming.

People lined the streets in Yankton and law enforcement officials gave the convoy a police escort from North Dakota most of the way through South Dakota.

“Once the word got out, because all of the local county sheriffs up here were posting it on Facebook, the more we were going, the word was getting out,” Jilek said.

“The farther we got from home the more people were gathered around in the town as we get there. We’d get into a town and in some towns there’d be 3 or 4 people standing and waving. Some people had signs that said thank you and god bless. By the time we got to Yankton there had to be 1,000 people lining the streets.”

On top of the hay, the convoy delivered wire and posts, milk replacer, household cleaning supplies, baby supplies, and even some stuffed animals.

Kubal and Jilek said it was an incredible moment when they unloaded those items.

“Overwhelming,” Jilek said. “I’ve used that a lot today after talking to people. It was, it really fills your heart when you see people that appreciative. I mean we didn’t expect that they wouldn’t be appreciative, but we couldn’t have expected that kind of welcome I guess. It’s something we will never forget.”

The convoy delivered all of those items Saturday night.

Jilek said for them, it wasn’t about getting the recognition. For them, it was about making a difference for those impacted by the flooding.