TAMPA, Fla. — Last week, a Tampa-based group of pilots began collecting donations for the Bahamas. Since then, their mission has turned into a community-wide donation drive, and now they need volunteers to help with the next phase of their efforts.

The relief effort started by "On the Upwind" Flying Club began as a Facebook post. It quickly transformed into something much bigger.

Juan Concheiro, President of On the Upwind, has been coordinating donation deliveries for more than a week now. On Monday, Concheiro flew to Freeport with other pilots to assess the damage and come up with a plan for delivering donations there in the days to come.

Concheiro says once they landed, a family took them around the island to show them the damage. That family returned to Florida with Concheiro.

The family has two young girls. They all rode out the storm together.

“They said they were fine through the storm, but when they got out they were just crying because everything was devastated afterwards and they didn’t understand why, and that’s the kind of thing that really touches you, I think,” said Concheiro.

It’s those stories that keep the mission going strong. This week, the group of volunteers sent supplies on a boat heading to the islands. Other organizations utilized the same boat.

"Now we've connected with other organizations on both sides of the bay that are all on the same mission. So now we're able to get out together in a more unified fashion,” said Concheiro.

Some of the businesses and organizations now partnering with Concheiro's group include The Flying REALTOR ®, JJ Lyon Guard Foundation, Will Smith Aviation, Boricuas de Corazón Inc., Express1 Aviation, and Super Q 106.7. He is coordinating donations and volunteer efforts online at www.caringforthebahamas.com.

Currently, volunteers are needed to help stock, sort and organize donations at the warehouse in Ybor City. It’s located at 802 N 12thStreet, Tampa, Florida 33602.

“We want to make sure that everything you bring to us is going to go to a family in need,” said Linda Perez, President of Boricuas de Corazón, Inc.

Concheiro is also documenting his trips to the Bahamas and the volunteer efforts here in the Bay Area on his YouTube channel.

If you would like to donate or volunteer, visit www.caringforthebahamas.com.