WATERLOO -- Jesse and Jessica Huntley have plenty of things they could be paying for.

To start, Jesse's battle with cystic fibrosis and his place on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

Or supplies to take care of Alexander, their recently adopted 4-month-old son.

Perhaps the house they are closing on in Dunkerton since losing their Waterloo mobile home to an electrical fire on May 15. They've been living with Jessica's parents, Greg and Denise Pierce, since the fire.

But the Huntleys have made up their minds -- they're moving on and helping others along the way.

The Huntleys donated a portion of what they were given through fundraising efforts by CUNA Mutual Group in Waverly, a company Jessica works with as a food service director with Eurest Dining, to tornado victims.

"I felt there was others who could use funds just like we could," Jessica Huntley said. "I thought giving money was better than objects -- felt that with money they could buy the necessities."

Jesse Huntley said they gave back the $50 they had left on their client assistant card from the Hawkeye Chapter of the Red Cross.

CUNA Mutual and St. John's Lutheran Church-Bennington, also damaged by the May 25 and 2000 tornadoes, held fundraisers for the family. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans matched the funds raised by St. John's. Coram Healthcare of Davenport, the supplier of Jesse's medication, express shipped a replacement of the medication lost in the fire.

Tai Parkhurst, a friend of the family, sent an e-mail to her friends, Huntleys' friends, and mutual friends explaining the situation.

"I just felt so bad for them," Parkhurst said. "They're the type of people that I knew if it were to happen to me they'd be the first ones there to help."

Parkhurst said GMAC, Jessica's previous employer, donated about seven totes full of items, mostly for Alex. A new mattress was sent for the baby crib to replace the mattress lost in the fire.

"We're very, very blessed," Jessica Huntley said of the donations. "Even for people who don't know us who have helped get us back on our feet … we can never say thank you enough. It's just an awesome feeling."

The fire that destroyed their home also claimed the lives of their two cats along with a majority of the possessions they once owned.

"You can replace all your stuff but losing the cats was tough," Jesse Huntley said. He explained they had to put down their dog in December due to complications of age.

Alex's baptismal outfit also was lost in the fire, but it was replaced by a relative before the baptism that Sunday, May 18 -- the same day as his adoptive parents' sixth wedding anniversary.

Fortunately, Jessica said, some of their possessions were safe from the flames.

Her scrapbooks and a wedding album, located in a cupboard above the bar area in their Waterloo home, were untouched. Some of Alexander's baby clothes, which she put in the dryer prior to leaving for work that morning, were also saved.

"We we able to come out with a lot of our clothes," she said. "My dad had made us a bed set and matching night stands as a wedding gift and we were able to bring that out with us along with Alex's crib and that was pretty much it."

And with a new child and a soon-to-be new house, the Huntleys feel they have luck on their side.

"We're very excited that chapter's over and now we've started a new chapter with Alex." Jessica Huntley said. "If God was testin' us we've had to have passed."

"Finally things are going well for them and we couldn't be happier," Parkhurst said.

Donations are still being accepted at any Veridian Credit Union locations under the Huntley Fire Fund and at Cedar Falls Community Credit Union.

Contact Bethany Pint at bethany.pint@wcfcourier.com or (319) 291-1587.