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PORT LAVACA – Calhoun County residents boarded a bus Sunday knowing only one thing: they wanted to help.

A group of 20 people sacrificed 13 hours of their day to sort food and distribute ice at the Houston Food Bank, Mary Nevarez, who coordinated the effort, said. They called themselves the Calhoun County Sandcrab Care Team.

They met at Calhoun High School at 5:45 a.m. after Nevarez asked Calhoun school district Superintendent Larry Nichols for the use of a school bus. The group originally thought it would help distribute food at a FEMA station on Galveston Island, but emergency management officials asked that they not distribute there as it could bring more people on the island.

Nevarez, a social worker from Port Lavaca, discusses the details.

Q: How did you get involved?

A: I don’t really want to get the credit for any of this. There was a need in our community. A lot of people asking, ‘Gosh what can we do?’ I was driving and I said, ‘I think I’m going to get a bus.’ I just drove to the central office, spoke to our superintendent and said, ‘I need a bus.’ And he says, ‘Oh, you do? For what?’ I said I was going to take some volunteers to help in the hurricane. I was kind of demanding I just put my thought into action and that’s all I did and everybody else did the rest.

Q: What did you guys do in Houston?

A: About 80 percent of our group worked what’s called the line production. They had to unwrap all the food items, wiped everything down, checked for any contaminants. In the afternoon, we went outside for ice bagging. They liked the work because they could see the people. We gave ice to anybody who needed it and worked the production line outside, too, sorting food. There was a line of vehicles.

Q: What affected you most?

A: To think about it, it could have been us. Once you saw them, you’d realize they’re ordinary middle class citizens who were walking through the Houston Food Bank. These are people who work and have families. It was so sad to know that they didn’t want to come and ask for assistance, but they needed it. I’m just grateful that it wasn’t me and I would like someone to come and help our county if it happened to us. We’re just neighbors helping neighbors.

Q: What’s next?

A: We’re going to go to Galveston County next. It will be deplorable conditions to work in, outbreaks of mosquitoes. We need physically able people who can work in the heat.