RIVERTON, Utah — A local restaurant is stepping up to lend a helping hand to those impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida.
Salsa Leedos Mexican Grill in Riverton made a post on their Facebook page on Friday, asking for a wide variety of donations they wanted to gather up and eventually take down to Florida.
The restaurant's owner, Travis Bonino, has ties to Florida. He has a condo on Treasure Island, which fortunately wasn't damaged due to the storm.
Jake Bright, the general manager, said Bonino had the idea early Friday morning to gather donations they could give out to those impacted.
In just a day, Bright said they have had several people stop by and drop stuff off.
"Our goal is to get socks, toothbrushes, anything that you can use when everything that you've had has just been taken away from you," said Bright.
He said one person in particular brought several bags of items.
"Probably 15, 20 bags worth of stuff from socks to markers to games for young kids, comfort stuff, dog food," said Bright.
HOW TO DONATE: Help those affected by Hurricane Ian by donating to the Scripps Howard Fund for Hurricane Relief
Mary Chmelik works at Salsa Leedos. She moved to Eagle Mountain two months ago from Cape Coral, Florida.
"Very close to the eye of the storm that just happened," said Chmelik.
It was a place that was hit hard by Hurricane Ian when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm in the southwest part of Florida earlier this week.
"I especially think of Sanibel and how those small businesses are just flattened," Chmelik said. "Fort Myers Beach [is], like, unrecognizable."
Bright said they just wanted to help any way they can.
"We've always been a community pillar, and again, we want to extend that community feel out there," he said.
It's something his employees who have loved ones in Florida, like Chmelik, appreciate.
"There are no words to describe how much relief that gives me that we're helping and making a difference from over here," said Chmelik.
Bright said they plan to gather up all the donations they received in the next week or so, load them up into a truck, and drive them down to Florida to give out to the people who are in need.
The Salsa Leedos Facebook page has a list of items they are looking for.
Bright said they will take donations at their location during business hours.
The Orlando Sentinel reports as of Friday morning, more than $12 million has been donated to help those impacted by Hurricane Ian.
