BANGOR, Maine — Mainer John Lee is now back home after spending two weeks in Florida helping with hurricane relief efforts.
According to the American Red Cross, he is one of 23 volunteers from Maine who deployed to the southeast to help support those affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
"They’ve just been through this horrible stressful event and my first instinct was to find out how they were doing, what can I do to help, do you need anything from me at this point in time," Lee said.
The American Red Cross does a damage assessment to deploy volunteers to communities where help is needed the most.
He was stationed at a hurricane shelter just outside of Port Charlotte, which is one of the hardest hit areas. Lee said about 400 people staying there were in need of food and clothing.
"Our volunteers basically drop everything, they leave their family, their home, their jobs to help people they don't even know. To help strangers they never even met, which is just so inspiring," Caroline King, the executive director of the American Red Cross of Northern and Eastern Maine, said.
Lee’s goal was just to help one person.
"It filled up my cup and made me feel good, like I’m doing the right thing," Lee said.
According to the American Red Cross, there are almost 1,200 people still on the ground providing emergency relief support to residents. The organization says they will continue to send volunteers over the next several months to help support hurricane relief efforts
You can click here to support hurricane relief efforts.