O'FALLON, Ill. — Greg Wisnasky saw the massive storm damage that left millions of Texans without power or running water and knew he had to do something.
"(He) said, 'Oh my gosh. Those people can't even take a shower or have water to drink,'" said his mom, Whitney Wisnasky-Bettorf.
She said Greg convinced her they had to do something.
"If you have the opportunity and the ability to give, you should," said Wisnasky-Bettorf.
The O'Fallon, Illinois, mom and son first sounded the alarm on Facebook. They asked their neighbors, churches, business owners and others to donate water to Texans hit hard by a winter storm last week.
In no time, the Good Samaritans collected cases and boxes of bottled water totaling more than 1,100 gallons for the storm victims.
"It's wonderful. We have, at least I have, cried a couple of times because of the generosity," said Whitney.
They loaded everything up on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday morning, the pair headed south, traveling through four states before they reached their destination.
After driving 12 hours, the pair trekked into Fort Hood Army base in Killeen, Texas, with a special delivery for families and soldiers.
Greg said there are more than 1,300 soldiers at the base who were out of water and boiling snow for something to drink.
Greg and his mom said helping people in Texas was humbling and an honor.
"We need to continue to pray for Texas. We need to give them hope. Even with COVID, there are people who will stand up and help," said Wisnasky-Bettorf.
