TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Water, diapers, baby formula, cleaning supplies and non-perishable food items are just some of the supplies you’ll find packed inside of the ExecuJet hanger at the Tampa International Airport.
The countless donations from the Tampa Bay community were loaded onto a private plane and delivered to the Bahamas Monday morning.
Private aviation company, ExecuJet and Kforce, a Tampa based professional staffing agency, are the driving forces behind the Flight of Hope.
“We love the Bahamas. Bahamian people are amazing. They are warm and friendly and welcoming,” said Ray Morganti, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Kforce. “The hurricane could have hit us and it didn’t. So, we are putting all that energy back into giving them any help that they need and that we could muster quickly.”
Morganti told 8 On Your Side, his team began preparing for Hurricane Dorian’s aftermath almost immediately. Last week alone, Kforce and members of the community loaded approximately 4,500 pounds of supplies into a large private jet headed for the Bahamas.
“The challenge is that we are only bringing specialized, high impact products. The plane only holds about 2,000 pounds,” Morganti said. “So the ones we don’t use are going to other distribution centers via truck and freighter but these products need to get there quickly and they will be in the hands of the people within hours.”
This massive care package will be distributed to Freeport by helicopter or ferry until airports can reopen.
For more information or to learn how to donate, visit Kforce’s web page here.
