CRYSTAL RIVER, FL (352today.com) – Under the blistering hot sun on Monday afternoon, a handful of volunteers from the United Way of Crystal River filled bags of sand at Bicentennial Park.
“We’ve been here since 9 a.m.,” said Jess Maloney, Community Engagement Coordinator for the United Way. She and the other sandbag saints were planning on wrapping up around 5 p.m. when the site would close for the day.
“We’ve had amazing support from the community. People show up – they realize we’re volunteering here. They want to take some bags, and they decide to fill some bags,” said Maloney. “So, we’ve kind of made our own little motto. We’re saying, ‘Grab a few. Fill a few.’ Pretty much every person who comes ends up staying and filling some more bags.”
Maloney said a lot of people who came to stock up on sandbags were new to the area and didn’t know what to expect from a potential Category 3 hurricane. So while they shoveled sand, some also doled out advice to newcomers. “Do this. Do that. A lot of people have tips for how to stay safe,” said Maloney.
“We just moved here from New Hampshire so it’s kind of new for us,” said Jaelynn Lancey as she tied a knot on a sandbag. When a volunteer heard her say she wasn’t really nervous, he chimed in, “It’s going to be a Category 3. You need to be nervous.”
The makeshift assembly line was low-tech but effective. A traffic cone turned upside down acts as a funnel for the sand to slide down into the empty bags. It clearly made quick work of a tough task.
When asked how many bags they’d filled, Missy Slenker, a United Way Board Member said, “A lot! Hundreds upon hundreds.”
Another volunteer calculated the small but mighty band had filled roughly 4,000 sandbags.
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It’s back-breaking work, but no one was complaining. Instead, they all agreed there was great satisfaction in coming together as a community.