By TONY BURBECK / 6News

Tens of thousands of people hit hard by Hurricane Charley are desperate for basic necessities such as power and water. One man's plan to help is being pushed forward by a surprise meeting in the streets of Tega Cay, S.C.

The death toll is up to 20 and thousands are not only homeless, but now jobless.

One thing people there do have is more help coming from the Carolinas in a U-Haul from a man who learned a lesson from a hurricane victim and from our own weather woes.

It's Wayne White versus billions of dollars in damage from Hurricane Charley.

His motto: "Pay it forward." His plan hatched Tuesday: "the U-Haul of Hope."

White plans to fill a 26-foot truck and drive it from Tega Cay to the Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte area of Florida.

But White didn't have a U-Haul or any contributions or specific needs until Floridian Jenifer Hughes walked down the street and heard White talking about his idea.

Hughes is in town to visit her parents, who happen to live in White's neighborhood. Her Florida home was spared significant damage, but she's seen firsthand the damage and discussed it with White.

White says he remembers "what it's like not to have power, not to cook, not to be able to take a hot bath" from an ice storm in Charlotte. He was helped by strangers then and wants to give back by helping in Florida.

Hughes will go back to Florida at the end of the week. White hopes to take a truck there in about two weeks.

If you would like to donate to the U-Haul of Hope, drop off items at the Tega Cay City Hall or the Tega Cay Parks and Recreation office starting Wednesday.