WENTZVILLE, Mo. — The basement playroom at Future Stars Academy is dry — but empty — after a late May flash flood overpowered an external door, requiring major repairs on the center's lower level.
"It's not a quick process," assistant director Amelia Vann said.
When the water pushed too high on May 27th, a security video captured how quickly the water rushed into an empty playroom, taking all the furniture and toys with it.
City leaders previously said this area got three inches of rain in thirty minutes, damage that will now take weeks to repair.
Tuesday afternoon — another steady stream — this time it was people dropping off donations, like Jackie Kell with this box of cars and trains.
"I just quit babysitting after 12 years and had some stuff that I have accumulated throughout the years and thought they could use it," Kell said.
The donations will help the center re-open for staff who are currently trying to collect unemployment benefits and the families that rely on Future Stars for childcare.
"A lot of our families are low-income so those parents are having to take off work to take care of their kids. They are trying to take their kids somewhere else," Vann said.
"It's probably pretty stressful," Sarah Jones said as she dropped off a load of donations, her own two children in tow. "I'm off in the summer because I am a teacher so everyone always tells me how lucky I am, and I do feel pretty lucky right now."
The academy has another donation drive planned for June 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.