Pesch drops off supplies donated by community to aid Texas

Charlie Pesch arrived in Texas last Wednesday evening with his truck loaded with provisions that had been donated by Minneota area businesses and individuals to assist the citizens of the Lone Star state following a major snowstorm in mid-February.
Texas wasn't prepared for one of the worst winter storm in the state's history and thousands were without power, fresh drinking, food and other supplies.
Pesch, who owns and operates Big Dipper Honey in Minneota, had brought 150 of his hives to Texas in October to keep them away from the harsh Minnesota winters. Little did he know that there would be a major storm there.
"I lost 20-25 percent of my bees," Pesch said. "I didn't know what to expect. I figured I would lose a few, but this is more than I was expecting."
Originally, Pesch was making the trip to Texas last week with another bee keeper from Howard Lake to check on his hives and bring some necessary supplies for the bees. He figured as long as he was traveling to Naples, Texas, he would donate $400 of his own money to purchase food, water and supplies for the people of Texas.
He then posted on Facebook to see if anyone else might want to donate cash or supplies.
Cash and supply donations poured in way more than he expected.
In fact, Pesch's truck was so full that he was unable to include the bee equipment and supplies he originally intended to bring. So he will be returning this week to pick up those necessary items and then return to Texas for a couple of months to care for his bees before bringing them back to Minneota in May.
When Pesch and the other bee keeper arrived in Texas last Wednesday, they unloaded their truck full of supplies at the local food shelf.
"We called ahead to let them know we were coming, so there were four people waiting there to help us unload," Pesch said. "They were really appreciative of the things we brought."
Because Texas heats up quickly, there was no snow remaining on the ground from the major storm in mid-February when Pesch arrived last week.
Among the items Pesch and his travel partner brought with them were cases of bottled water, cases of eggs, bread, non-perishable food items, toiletries, disinfectant wipes and more.
"The town we brought supplies to is about the same size as Minneota," Pesch said. "It's kind of a weird concept that one small town is giving so much to another town the same size."
Pesch does not take any credit for donating his time, money and effort to aid the people of Texas.
"I don't feel proud of myself or anything. I was making the trip there anyway to check on my bees and I saw an opportunity to help," he said, humbly. "I'm grateful to everyone who reached out to help. It was insane. Minneota is such a giving community."
Because of a lack of space, Pesch will not be bringing more food, water and supplies to Texas on his next trip.