All the efforts led to quite a bit of progress in tornado-stricken areas, and the giving spirit of those who come to volunteer is also boosting morale.

One week has passed since this town in Newton County took a direct hit from the tornado.

"We have 10 houses that were just totally wiped away; they're just not there anymore; they're just gone," said Mayor Idann Wormington.

Wormington says every other home in town sustained some kind of damage but, thankfully, no one was killed or even hurt.

The town is pulling together to recover from the material loss.

"There's been no cross words. There's been nobody mad. Nobody's got their feathers ruffled. Everybody has worked together, everybody," Wormington said.

Neighbors are helping neighbors, and even very distant neighbors have come to lend a helping hand.

"Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of volunteers- literally!" said Wormington.

Organizations like American Red Cross, Mennonite Disaster Service, AmeriCorps and many more all flocked to Newtonia to offer food, shelter, supplies, and recovery services.

"We've been tarping roofs before it rained, clearing trees out of people's yards, getting them all sawed up and movable, right on the edge of their yards, and we're organizing volunteers to get them out there to do that type of thing," says Amanda Haught of Americorps, St. Louis.

Saturday, a group of 11 men came from a Mennonite congregation an hour and a half away to volunteer their equipment and their muscles.

"They came and they asked us what we had to do, and we gave them a location to go to, and they were right on it," Haught said.

"We try to help people that need help," said volunteer Sid Koehn.

And with all the help comes hope.

"I know having the food here makes them feel more comfortable and like things are going to get better," Haught said. "People come into town and go, 'Gee, ya'll are laughing and cuttin' up,' and it's just been everybody pulling together," Wormington said

And the experience, though a terrible one, has brought everyone closer.

"It's going to be sad to leave," said Haught.

"It's a terrible thing to have to come together for this sort of thing, but it's been marvelous," said Wormington.

The Red Cross Service Center in Newtonia closed Saturday evening, but tornado victims can still get aid like food, clothing, bedding, cleaning supplies, and help with those projects like tree removal, if they go to Calvary Baptist Church in Neosho. The center is closed Sunday, but opens Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then the Red Cross says it will take it a day at a time, and could stay open all week if the need remains.