Michigan couple head south to provide meals as Hurricane Ian hits Florida

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A Michigan couple headed to Florida to provide meals to people impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Ray Bongartz and Janie Barner became Red Cross volunteers after retiring from their day jobs a few years ago. Now, they help people in need.

Read: Hurricane Ian makes Florida landfall

"We have a 3500 Sprinter van. It is designed to feed people with hot meals," Bongartz said.

The couple will use that van to provide several hundred meals a day.

"The one thing you can rely on, in a situation like this, is you have to be very flexible. The weather changes. The path of the hurricane changes. The conditions change," Bongartz said.

They said it's about helping people in their worst moments. 

"This is what it’s all about because it does make a difference. You feel you touched the lives of those people in their worst moment," Bongartz said.

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Beyond helping, it's about building connections.

"We just share this moment. We say, ‘You know what? The people of Michigan thinking of you. That’s why we’re here.'" Barner said. "Even if people don’t want the meal, they thank us for being there, for being there to support the community."