MOUNT GILEAD — There was a steady stream of cars all afternoon Sunday, dropping off items for the U-Haul cruiser headed for Kentucky Monday morning.
By the end of the afternoon, almost 7 tons of goods had been collected. Items included bottled water, pet food, clothing, diapers, baby food, canned food and trash bags.
Megan Rockas of Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Prevention of Morrow County (DAAP) said they had also received donations of almost $3,000 in checks, cash and gift cards for helping in the area of the tornados in Kentucky.
Dawn Fleming of Mount Gilead came by with a second carload of goods, saying she was glad to give.
“There is no better place to give at Christmas time this year than for the people in Kentucky,” Fleming said.
Sergeant Coby Holloway of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said that the U-Haul was donated for the trip by CP Properties U-Haul of Mount Gilead.
Rockas said that Nick Hayes and Caleb Cox drove the truck to Kentucky Monday morning.
Law enforcement agencies participating included: Cardington Police, Mount Gilead Police, Morrow County Sheriff, and Ohio State Highway Patrol. Jodi Hayes of United Way of Morrow County and Rockas of DAAP were also at the Kroger site helping with collections.
After six hours in the freezing weather there were no complaints about the wind or cold. Chief Adam Lakey of the Mount Gilead Police Department was just glad to point out that they had literally crammed the truck from front to back and floor to ceiling for the people in Kentucky.
Many a thank you to donors rang out with donors saying ‘Merry Christmas’ as the project finished the day with a full truck weighing over 14,000 pounds.
