ARCOLA - Almost two decades after Arcola residents pitched in to help a Mexican community devastated by 1988's Hurricane Gilbert, some groups there are again trying to provide aid to the city of Cadereyta after it was recently ravaged by flooding.

Arcola's ties to the city in northern Mexico date back to the 1960s, when workers and their families started coming to the area from Cadereyta to work in the broom industry.

The Hispanic population in Arcola has continued to grow, and most of those families have come from Cadereyta, forging a bond strong enough that people such as Herlinda Kauffman consider it Arcola's "sister city."

Now Arcola's St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is collecting food, supplies and money that parish members will deliver to Cadereyta and the more than 2,000 families who lost homes and possessions in the storm.

"As soon as it hit, family members started calling to tell us that they needed help," said Kauffman, who was born in Cadereyta and still has family there.

Kauffman's father was a part of a similar effort to provide aid to Cadereyta in 1988, when he and others drove 1,300 miles from Arcola to bring food and supplies to a region devastated by Gilbert, which was at the time one of the most intense hurricanes ever recorded.

Kauffman said she recognizes that some people now might have giving fatigue after the large-scale donation drives for victims of hurricanes on the Gulf coast, but that won't stop her and others from trying to help Cadereyta.

"We've had so many tragedies right now," she said. "For us, it's important because we're directly connected to the people who have been hurt like this."

Kauffman also said people should realize that disaster assistance outside the United States can be lacking.

"When you live in a foreign country, it's not the same," she said. "We're close enough that we can actually make a difference and help."

Mary Garza, a secretary at St. John the Baptist, said so far the response from Arcola residents has been great, and if people from elsewhere in Central Illinois want to help, they welcome the support.

Garza said the parish is collecting canned goods and powdered milk, toiletries and diapers, bedding and towels, winter clothing and shoes, cleaning products, cookware, dishware, silverware, small appliances and folding chairs and tables.

Mary Tallon can be reached at mtallon@;herald-review.com or 421-7984.