WAVERLY - Winter is coming. A few flakes in the air Saturday illustrated the point.

For many, though, calendars stopped working early in June when high water rushed across Northeast Iowa.

"It was the day after my birthday," Nikki Droste said.

"I never had a summer."

She turned 26 in her home two blocks off the Cedar River in Waverly. Like others affected by record flooding earlier this year, Droste has aged a good deal since then.

Droste and dozens of others in a similar situation accepted a little help Saturday from the Bremer County Recovery Coalition and donors living several states away. Volunteers with Emmanuel Lutheran Church in North Georgetown, Ohio, directed an effort to collect household items for the Lutheran Disaster Response of Ohio.

The goods ranged from coffee mugs and dishes to refrigerators and furnaces - enough material to fill a semitrailer.

"It was packed," said Dan Kittle, chairman of the Bremer County Recovery Coalition.

Miller's True Value Hardware in Waverly opened space available next to its store to display the goods, and coalition volunteers welcomed those affected by flooding to pick out what they needed or wanted. The open invitation was for residents of Bremer and Butler counties and folks in the North Cedar neighborhood of Cedar Falls.

"This is one step in the process. We know it's not going to fix everything, but we hope that it does help," Kittle said.

Organizers were particularly pleased to see so many large appliances in the trailer because the clock is ticking. Colder weather is close at hand, and Kittle said the coalition is trying to address flood victims' immediate needs that have not yet been satisfied.

Kittle said Saturday's distribution served at least two other functions as well.

"It reminds people there are still folks struggling," he said. " … And it's just another indication that we care."

Maureen Mehmen and her husband, Ron, knew the water would get high in Plainfield. They moved most of their belongings and raised others - they thought - out of harm's way.

Muddy filth reached 14 inches above the main floor, and two foundation walls gave way. The couple now live in a mobile home provided by FEMA as they wait to repair their property.

"We've got it about as far as we're going to get it before winter," Mehmen said.

She picked out a bed frame and blanket Saturday and placed a "taken" tag on a couch. Her husband hesitated, however, in part because the couple is running out of space to store belongings.

Even before June, Mehmen was familiar with how these things play out. She is a disaster services branch manager for the American Red Cross, and in fact, responded to Parkersburg after the tornado hit in May.

"I've always had some understanding of what it's like to be on the wrong side of the desk," Mehmen said.

But her experience over the past five months added depth.

"I know this event is going to make me a better case worker," Mehmen said.

Saving a few dollars on a used bed may seem insignificant, but Mehmen valued the gift.

"For one thing it's money I don't have to take out of my pocket that will pay for my home. For another, it's an example of good neighbors, friends helping friends," she said.

Droste also seemed to appreciate the kindness at least as much as the few items she picked out.

"I don't want to be greedy. I want everyone else to have a chance," she said, recognizing the deeper meaning behind the donations.

"Everybody's on our side, pulling for us to get better."

Droste is eager to start living instead of getting by, to start flipping the calendar again and to catch up with the rest of the world. Saturday's distribution of household items helped.

"Hopefully by next summer we'll have some good times. No more disasters."

Contact Dennis Magee at (319) 291-1451 or dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.