SOUTHWICK, Mass. (WWLP) - The recovery efforts are ongoing in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene. HURRICANE TRACKER: Milton storm surge forecast as deadliest impact Now a new issue--Hurricane Milton, which made landfall at 8:30 this evening in Siesta Key, Florida as a category 3 storm. Local communities are coming together to support those who have lost everything. The town of Southwick is collecting items for Survivors of Helene in North Carolina, helping out in any way they can. Boxes, filled with essential items like canned food, diapers, and blankets, are about to make the long journey from Southwick to North Carolina, all to be delivered to survivors of Helene. Joe Deedy of the Southwick Civic Fund tells 22News, "With past storms, we've helped out over the years so it's a natural fit. That's what small towns do." And this small town-- with a very big heart--- is banding together to get these two trailers filled to the brim. "We need the non-perishable food items," says Retired Southwick Police Chief Kevin Bishop. "If they are bringing canned goods we need pop-off tops because of no electricity down there, anything that you can think of that we could use---we need it." They will remain in front of the Southwick Fire Department until the trailers are fully stocked and ready to hit the road, hoping to inspire others to lend a helping hand when others need it the most. "At the end of the day, you got to give back---that's why we are here," says Deedy. Bishop adds, "For them to see that there are good people---I spend my career in law enforcement saying that there are more good people than there are bad. We are trying to make sure that that message gets out." In response to Hurricane Milton, The Southwick Civic Fund says they would need a tractor-trailer in order to be able to ship a large amount of much-needed resources to Florida and they are hoping they can make that happen. Local News Headlines Chicopee police seek public’s help in locating missing teen City of Holyoke looks to update its natural hazards mitigation plan Local varsity girls soccer team hosted a fundraiser to support Breast Cancer Research National Grid sends crews to aid Florida after Milton WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.