STATE – As Alabamians unite to aid Mississippi and Louisiana evacuees, the New York New Era corporate office has sent truckloads of items to its Alabama employees.

“It’s simply the right thing to do,” Tim Freer, vice president of human resources at New Era in Derby, N.Y., said. “Some of our employees are in need and the employees up here have made a big decision to make a big commitment.”

According to Freer, the trucks were initially sent to the New Era facility in Mobile Labor Day Weekend then to Demopolis and Jackson.

“Mobile was the hardest hit of our Alabama facilities,” he said. “They lost power and some of our employees lost their homes.”

Freer said the company put up announcements and its employees “reached into their pockets.”

New Era requested bottled water and packaged beverages, powered milk and baby formula, baby food, canned and dried food items, flashlights, batteries, paper products, diapers, disinfectant and baby wipes, hand sanitizers and other personal hygiene products.

“We were looking at what we could do to support those who were really hit,” he said.

Freer said he and New Era’s vice president will be in Alabama today until the end of the week to check on the company’s 920 Alabama employees.

“We want to get down there and make sure everybody’s O.K.,” Freer said. “We heard the items we sent were well received, but there’s nothing like being there in person to make sure.”