RIVERTON, Utah — Riverton restaurant owner Travis Bonino has been in Florida for the past week and a half, not scoping out new recipes, but on a more important mission following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene throughout the southeast.
“What I witnessed was something I'll probably never forget," said Bonino. “I've never witnessed such destruction, sadness. The smells were horrible, I mean, sewers were backed up. We were walking through a foot of mud, slush, sewer.”
Back home in Utah, volunteers are hard at work collecting donations at Salsa Leedos, Bonino's restaurant in Riverton.
“This isn't channeling through any government,” said Bonino. “This isn’t hurry up and wait. We're on the ground. We're going to be passing out these supplies immediately.”
Community members have been contributing everything from clothes to diapers, food, power tools, and propane.
“Just anything that might help them,” said Lindsay Marriott. “When you have nothing, what do you think you would need when your house is completely destroyed?”
Friends of the restaurant offered semi trucks to take the items to Florida.
“It's really cool to see people that are willing to do this even though we're going through tough times right now,” said Marriott. “People are willing to give what they have and what they can.”
This isn’t the first time Bonino has asked the community to help spread the "Leedos love."
“They always showed up for us,” he said. “They've never let us down. Now, people back here in Florida, the Carolinas, they need us more than ever, and I'm just one guy trying to do the best that I can to help people, but I can't do it without Utah's help.”
Volunteers will be accepting donations at the restaurant through Thursday, and hope to fill both semis so they can head out to Florida by Friday.
