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Fayetteville Woman Finds Help for New York Parents via Facebook

By: Tyler Thomason

Updated: November 1, 2012

"My mom said it looks like the whole town was put in a blender and just shook around," says Valerie Champagne, of Fayetteville, whose parents live in New York. "There's just stuff everywhere out of place."

It's been a week full of worry for Valerie Champagne and her husband, Derek.

"When family or a friend is hurt, your first instinct is how can I help," Derek says.

Valerie's parents live near Long Island and recently returned to their storm-damaged home.

"They had three and a half feet of water in their house, on the first level," Valerie says."The Red Cross was on their street this morning, handing out water and food. You know it's bad, if the Red Cross is there."

Communication has been minimal, but after hearing a just little bit of what her folks were facing, Valerie had to do something.

"I was like 'Mom, I can help you,' she was like, 'How are you going to help me, what are you going to do honey, in Arkansas? OK, tell the grand-kids I said hi.'"

But Valerie did more than greet the grandkids. She took to social media.

Realizing that her parents were in 40-degree temps with no electricity, she posted a Facebook plea -- for firewood.

And that simple status from Fayetteville caught the eye of a few New Yorkers, 20 minutes from Valerie's parents.

"Some of my old friends from grade school were like 'Oh, we can take it to your parents, message us their address.'"

"Just the smallest thing like that made a giant difference," Derek says.

Lifting the couple's spirits, while lowering some of Valerie's worries.

"I thanked them, and my friend Nicole said that she gave my mom a hug for me," Valerie says.

An encouraging online act that has Valerie thinking of doing a little more, even if she is more than a thousand miles away.

"I don't know, I was thinking of calling and ordering them a pizza later, maybe delivered."

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