One week after tragedy struck the surrounding Nashville area, Claudia Anguiano, plant administrator at the Millwood, Inc. location in Smyrna, TN, hosted a meeting with the rest of the team to determine how they could provide aid to the surrounding communities.

A tornado outbreak in early March left many residents without power, water and in some cases their homes and personal belongings. Dozens of people were killed, and dozens more were injured.

“That morning something in my heart told me to tell my coworkers that we needed to do something to help the ones affected,” Anguiano said.

Anguiano and the other team members decided to collect and donate food and water bottles to areas impacted by the tornado outbreak.

Local resident DJ Matthews, who often sells pallets to the Millwood Smyrna pallet plant, offered his trailer and time to help purchase product and load and unload the products at their final destination.

With the help of friends and family and an announcement on Radio Smyrna 710 AM, they were able to fill the trailer within 24 hours.

That same day, Anguiano, her son Adan and Matthews delivered donations to the Lebanon Fire Department where several volunteers were ready to unload. Anguiano also brought donations to Donelson Christian Academy, a school which suffered total devastation from the tornado.

“It was a wonderful experience to see that with God’s blessing, we did it,” Anguiano said. “I am thankful for Millwood because thanks to my job, I can share information, learn, help and see that we all can achieve big things.”