Mel Martin's a trucker from Portage and has been soliciting businesses for donations to transport to those in need at Fort McMurray.

Martin describes the response he received around the region.

"It's awesome. Just awesome. The Chicken Chef at 3770 Portage Avenue West (Winnipeg) -- I was in there helping him yesterday, and they showed up with a a truck and a trailer full of stuff: Diapers, toothbrushes, and tooth paste. It was mostly sundry stuff like hygiene stuff, wipes and stuff. They had everything."

Portage Transport donated a truck for the effort.

Martin shares a highlight of his efforts.

"We had a little girl came there. She had her birthday on Sunday. And she phoned all her friends, and just got them to bring stuff that she could give to the trailer instead of bringing her gifts. Her mom and dad and her little sister brought the stuff down there yesterday. And it's just amazing."

He says he helped those victimized by the fires at Thompson in 1989, and says it brings back memories.

"We were in Thompson. My wife owned a delivery business up there at the time. So we got involved with helping. So, the people came in from the northern communities there, and they were just lost. They didn't know whether they were going to have a home to go home to. And it's the same thing in Fort McMurray right now. We just thought we could do something for them."

Martin says it's an awful feeling for the people affected. He says he couldn't offer the help without the assistance of Portage Transport and Portage Credit Union. Martin notes he didn't expect to see the kind of support he received, adding it blows him away. Martin says people came up to them yesterday, and within an hour of asking for people to bring blankets and towels at the airport hangar, five or six brand new pillows came. He adds children came with little bags with tooth brushes and tooth paste, and it was all just amazing to watch. Martin says a man asked what they could use, and they told him some water would be helpful. He came back in an hour with a pallet full of 2,000 pounds of water, having purchased it all from Costco.

Martin says they had to have a truck. He says he called the office and talked to Abe Plett, and he'd send word. And within an hour it was a go. JD trailers in Winnipeg gave them a trailer to use for the entire week.

He adds Canadians and especially Manitobans are the type of people who see a disaster, step up, and help. Martin adds from the smallest kids who brought the smallest things, to pallets loaded with water, it all adds up.