With portions of Texas and Florida being devastated by hurricanes, people everywhere are pitching in to help. It should come as no surprise that the good people in the trucking industry are some of the individuals stepping up to the plate.
Good Samaritans are popping up all over. The helpful parties run the gamut from as few as one truck or two all the way to entire trucking companies. People just love to help. And truckers, as we know, are some of the most helpful, giving people around. They know what hard work is and how to move a lot of food, supplies, clothing, etc. Who better to come to the rescue? Let’s look at a few stories of hurricane assistance offered by truckers.
Relief From One Lebanon, Illinois-Based Company
The owner of a trucking company based in Illinois is just one of the angels seemingly sent from above. He had helped out in the past during other bad storms so thought he was well prepared for the task. He knew he had the resources to be of significant assistance in the way of disaster relief. He asked around for supplies and donations and planned on taking one day to run a couple of trucks to devastated Houston. After two weeks, 360,000 prepackaged meals, and 680,000 pounds of supplies, he was still going!
It all started with a simple post on Facebook to “Stock the Trailer”, according to his story which appeared in People magazine. For weeks and weeks, more volunteers and truckloads of donations continued to pour into affected areas of Texas. A temporary animal and livestock shelter, Galveston County Fairgrounds and Rodeo Facility, received 30 bales of hay, 200 pallets of diapers, 50,000 pounds of water, and more from truckloads of donations transported by this man’s company.
This owner has lost revenue, paid for employees and fuel costs that did his company no good whatsoever, and spent other countless personal dollars during the effort. But, the way he sees it, “My sacrifice seems minuscule. Some of these families have lost everything. Their lives have been destroyed. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have to suffer through that kind of devastation.”
Moving Van Company from Rhode Island Joins In
Building and cleaning supplies are just some of the donated items that were being transported by a moving van company’s fleet on September 9 – all bound for Houston. New England residents from surrounding towns, cities, nonprofits, businesses, and friends and neighbors all came together to be of assistance. They filled the trucks with items they thought would be helpful during the hurricane recovery efforts in Texas. Amazingly, when all was said and done, it was estimated that approximately 1000 homes could be cleaned up and rebuilt with the supplies donated in this effort.
Truckers are a special breed. That’s one reason that Mickey wants to make sure that truck drivers, company owners, and everyone else on the road is safe and lives to see tomorrow. At Mickey, we offer premium parts and service to keep your vehicle running safely and at peak performance. You can trust Mickey for your trailer, van, refrigerated beverage trailer, truck, repair parts, and service needs. Give us a call if you have any questions about what Mickey can do for you.