Words can't even begin to describe what the past 24 hours have been like. We finished loading the truck late last night with the help of tons of folks that came out to the "load the truck" party. We had a great turn out and got it loaded remarkably quickly with items left over that wouldn't even fit! It's hard to believe that what was just a dream a week ago has more than come true!
This morning Madeline and I got into the car after saying bye to Romus, the driver, and our truck and headed for T-town. We pulled into Tuscaloosa right around lunch time and our jaws dropped and I don't think we've been able to pick them up since. It has been an incredible mixture of heart-heavy emotions of sadness, pain, joy and complete amazement at all that is going on. There are more pieces to this story than can be easily explained and I still haven't been able to grasp it all.
We headed for the distribution site that Five Points Baptist Church was running in Northport. Romus pulled in with our truck sporting signs reading "Mac-town loves t-town" and I've never been more proud. We waited several hours in line because there were just so many trucks and cars and trailers of people with items to give! People sporting LSU and Auburn and Ole Miss and of course, Alabama, apparel were working hand in hand to unload, organize, and reload trucks to send to areas most in need. We were able to catch up with Angie and Brandi, our contacts here in T-town, and share so many stories with each other. The folks running the operation here are some of the most unbelievable people I've ever met. We learned that story of our truck showing up when it did with what it did runs far deeper than just being added to a warehouse of stuff to be sent out at a later date. In fact, the Macon truck would go to play an even greater role than we could have ever imagined.
We were next in line to the unloading area. But as Romus was pulling up, a group of gentlemen approached us with some urgent needs. They wanted to know what was in our truck. We explained that we had everything from water to food and clothing and baby supplies and tools and everything in between. They were ecstatic to see how well the truck was packed. They had just gotten a call in from Guntersville, AL, a small lake town northwest of Gadsden, near Birmingham, with urgent needs. We learned that they have gone 11 days without anything. They, along with many other small towns, haven't gotten the media attention that they deserve. As soon as I heard this, I knew we needed to send our truck there. We unloaded some loose items from the back of our truck to make room for 2 more pallets of water, a pallet of chests of ice, and a pallet of charcoal and sealed the truck and sent it north towards Guntersville. This whole time Romus was ready to do whatever he needed to help out. I think he, like all of us, were overwhelmed with the incredible work that was being done there by VOLUNTEERS to help people.
Hours later I called Romus to get an update. After being there in Guntersville for a couple of hours, they were still unloading the truck. I asked to speak with one of the ladies there and she shared their situation with me. There were about 7 of them unloading this truck that took 40 or 50 of us to load with the help of a fork lift. They were unloading it on the side of a road because the truck couldn't get anywhere else with all the debris and fallen trees. This small town hadn't received any aid of any kind in the 11 days since the tornado. They were ecstatic to see Romus pull into their town. Our truck was a godsend to this community. Carefully packed with food, water, toiletries, clothing, tools, toys, baby products, and much more, our truck will help this town live for a little while. Little did we know that our truck would make such a huge impact on a town that would still be without right now. And if we hadn't sent it to Tuscaloosa when we did, it wouldn't be in Guntersville right now. We'll post pictures as soon as I receive them from the folks in Guntersville, as well as continue to update you on what is going on.
I know I speak for Madeline and Wendy and everyone else involved when I say thank you Macon. With your help, we as a community were able to make a HUGE impact on Guntersville, AL. I'd challenge us all to continue to send aid their way. I'd even love to see Macon adopt Guntersville to help ensure that they continue to get the things that we take for granted, things that are so basic, yet essential to our survival. What a privilege it has been to work with everyone involved and see our town rally around people in need. I'm proud to be a Maconite.
