AMITE — After the Smitty’s Supply explosion left hundreds of workers without jobs, one local woman took it upon herself to bring her community together to help those affected.

Jasmine Sullivan, from Loranger and known online as Traveling Momma of 2, organized a fundraiser to support employees and their families.

“I feel like, especially like Louisiana, we just all come together in a time of need,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan explained that the idea for the fundraiser came after friends and family encouraged her to take action. 

“I had a lot of friends and some family reach out and say, ‘Hey, you have the following. Do you think you could put something on to try to raise money?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. I knew they would be more than willing. So I was like, look, let's do this,’” she said.

Hundreds of plates of jambalaya and pastalaya were sold in front of Brandon’s Trailer Sales in Amite, with people lining the street to take home a plate. 

“The line was very long. We had a lot of pre-orders, but we sold out the rest,” Sullivan said.

Even though Sullivan doesn’t live in Roseland, she said helping her neighbors felt like the right thing to do.

“Just to help the community. So we're not from Roseland or Amite, but you know, not far away, it's still close to home. We all have husbands, we all have families, and we would want somebody to do the same thing,” she said.

Sullivan said her family has a long history of stepping up in times of need, citing their efforts after Hurricane Ida as an example. 

“When Hurricane Ida came through, me, my husband, a few others, we all pitched in and we cooked for all the linemen,” she recalled.

All of the money raised from the fundraiser will go directly to the Smitty’s Supply employees. 

In just 30 minutes, 600 plates sold out, raising more than $10,000 to support those impacted by the explosion.