TAMPA, Fla. — When Tampa Fire Rescue and other organizations within the city partnered with Stepp’s Towing and Heavy Transport for a donation drive to help people in southwest Florida, they anticipated filling up about just one truck.

In just a week’s time, people in Tampa have filled up three.

It’s all new, and it’s all needed.

“These are 53-foot trailers so they’re stacking the stuff in there,” said Todd Stepp, owner of Stepp’s Towing and Heavy Transport.

According to Stepp, he didn’t hesitate to get involved in what took place on Central Avenue in Tampa.

“We’ve got some trailers that we can donate, we’ll get our drivers to take them down there,” Stepp said.

He’s talking about a donation drive in partnership with the city of Tampa where people can drop off new items like water, baby formula and canned food, which will be taken down to the Fort Myers area next week.

Three weeks following this devastating hurricane, Stepp says it couldn’t come at a better time.

“I think this is when they need it the most,” Stepp said.

That something Barbara Tripp, chief of Tampa’s Fire Rescue, agrees with after seeing the devastation firsthand.

“Everyone has to start all over again,” Tripp said, which is why she’s thankful to have her department be a part of this drive, too.

She never would have imagined that three trucks would be filled with donations from folks from the Bay area, but she’s also not entirely surprised.

“We wanted to let them know the city of Tampa is here to support them,” Tripp said. “We know that if this happened in Tampa, they would have reached out and supported us as well.”

While this affects his bottom line for a brief moment, Stepp says it’s worth it.

“This is just something small that we can put together with our leaders here in the Tampa Bay area to give back in a small way,” said Stepp.