Just four days after a deadly tornado struck Muscatine, Iowa, a community came together to support the family of the man who died.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado with max wind speeds of 110 miles per hour struck Muscatine on Monday afternoon, June 24, 2013.
The most intense damage happened in the business district along Highway 61 in northern Muscatine, where a car dealership, a church, a hotel and several other businesses were damaged.
Among the badly damaged was Calvary Church. The main church building, which housed an auditorium, common areas and offices, is now uninhabitable, and repairs could take up to a year to complete.
"There are a lot of people that are like, 'Oh, it's so bad.' But at the same time, it's been really cool to see a lot of people coming together, which I haven't really seen in a while here," said church member Mark Cochran.
Friday night, Calvary Church hosted a garage sale with a duel purpose. The first goal was to empty the church's warehouse, which was filled with unused, donated items, ranging from pool tables to Christmas decorations.
The warehouse needed to be emptied in order to become Calvary's temporary worship center while repairs to the main building take place.
"Here we are again, being reminded that the church is not the building. It's about the people," said Pastor Dan Schoepf.
The sale's second purpose, though, was all about giving back. Next door at Krieger's Collision Center, Wayne Haury was killed in the tornado, and all proceeds from the event went to Haury's family.
"You know, this whole community wants to come behind this guy who's worked here for 35 years. Many people know him because he's worked on their cars... and they just want a chance to come alongside and help," said Schoepf.
A line formed outside even before the doors opened at 5 p.m., and the eager buyers proved that a whole town wanted to help out the Haury family, too.
"It's wonderful. It's huge, I mean, look at all the stuff they have. It's great, and there's a lot of people here, so hopefully they raise a lot for them," said shopper Rhiannon Pharr.
To donate to the Haury family, checks are still being accepted at Calvary Church. Please make them out to Vicki Haury.