A Valvoline Express Care operator in Missouri has joined local small business owners in gathering donations for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, reports KSDK.
The initiative was launched by Renee Kennedy, a Rolla, Missouri business owner who operates food trucks. She partnered with a church in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to gather donations that will be distributed to organizations and individuals in need.
Kennedy sought help from businesses all around the community, but no one was interested—it was then she realized she knew to call Brian Beckett, the owner of Valvoline stores in Rolla and Sullivan.
“I went to the big stores to see if I could take donations just to get something going down there and collect water, formula and diapers. And couldn't get nobody to bite,” said Kennedy. “I literally prayed about it and I woke up the next morning and knew to call Brian.”
That she did, and Beckett agreed. He offered $15 off oil changes to any customer that brought a donation for hurricane victims. Items accepted included hygiene products, bottled water, clothes, blankets, dry socks, and formula.
In addition, this past Thursday and Friday there were food trucks on site at the Rolla Valvoline, with a portion of their proceeds going to relief efforts.
On Sunday, Kennedy rented a U-Haul truck to deliver all the donations up to Black Mountain Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. The donations will be inventoried, and then distributed among individuals in need and the over 100 organizations the church has partnered with.
“You know, we are very fortunate to have a lot of folks bringing in supplies,” said Shane Lunsford, who oversees the church’s donations. “We're providing resources pretty much within about a 50-mile radius of the church here.”
