When news broke about an all-girls camp that accounted for many of the missing children during flooding in central Texas this July, Chase Gentry immediately filled his truck with supplies for families and first responders and drove north.

When I got to Kerrville, I dropped off water, clothing, and other essentials for families and first responders at multiple fire stations in the area. Beyond the donations, when I first started driving, I didn't know what else I might be able to do. I told the first responders, "I'm an able-bodied person, and I'm here — put me to work."

I'll never forget the next day. We started early in the morning with a safety briefing where they alerted us that we were probably going to find people. In fact, my family had already experienced this when grandparents who live in the area located one of the missing girls on their property, nearly 20 miles away.

My assignment was one of the nearby RV parks. The scene in front of me was indescribable. Trees were turned into toothpicks, and vehicles were smashed like soda cans.

I was with a team of first responders from Odessa. The mission that day was deeply personal to them as they were searching for an Odessa police officer known to be vacationing in the park for the holiday.

A day prior, crews had found his wife and daughter, but he and his son were still among the missing. Under about 15-20 feet of rubble, we found a truck matching his description and spent the entire day digging it out. We ran the plates and knew it was his vehicle, but we didn't find him. He and his son are still among the hundreds missing.

This is just one of countless stories from central Texas. Many families are grieving in private, but some are now publicly asking for help finding their loved ones. I know they'll never stop looking.

There's a mental toll that comes with this work. I was so focused in the moment on the job at hand that I'm just now processing it all. It's going to take months and years for this area to recover, and families will never feel whole.

For anyone looking to help, keep Texas and these families in your prayers. And if you're able, like I was, consider assisting first responders and other relief organizations on the ground who will continue working to find the missing, clear the debris, and help central Texas rebuild one day at a time.

Chase would go on to make the eight-hour round trip an additional time, once again filling his truck and a trailer with much-needed supplies. In total, through personal contributions and donations, Chase purchased more than $5,000 worth of food, water, hygiene items, toys, and clothing. He spent the better part of the week completely focused on doing whatever he could to support those impacted by the Guadalupe River flooding in central Texas.

Chase Gentry is affiliated with Ford through its Ford Ambassador program.