Memphis, one of the poorest big cities in the country, also is the second most giving city in the country to charitable causes. Nowhere can that be better seen than at the drives around the city to help Texas storm victims. Local 24’s Mike Matthews has the story.
When the worst of nature hits it often leads to the best of man responding. It is happening right now.
Sitting right in front of AutoZone park, at the corner of Union and Third streets in Downtown Memphis, is a symbol of people who care.
A truck waiting to be filled with all sorts of things; destination Houston, Texas, where the flooding cleanup is just starting to get underway.
Local Chick-fil-a people have been collecting things. Area Marketing Director Kimberly Carlson says, “Most of what we’re asking today are items like shovels and rakes and wipes and gloves. Things that will enable families to go in their houses to clean and repair them for when insurance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency comes through.”
Chick-fil-a Restaurants have been collecting goods, and one reason is there are a lot of Chick-fil-a employees down in Texas who have lost everything.
Brandon Paulsen is the owner/operator of a Chic-fil-a in Mississippi. “We actually had almost 80 restaurants, Chick-fil-a Restaurants that were impacted,” he said. “Over 8,000 team members were impacted.”
Strangers helping those in need. It never fails to lift spirits of people in a world that often seems to just slam problem after problem on the shoulders of regular folks.
It is that realization that somebody is in trouble, and they can be helped.
This is what makes Memphis amazing, for the people here always help.
Example? How about My Town Movers, donating trucks to move all of the donated things to Texas. Co-owner Noel Fenderson is a Memphian.
“What I love about Memphis” he says, “…is it brings out the good and who we are and what we stand for. I love that. It’s the heart of who we are, the soul of our city.”
