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Locals ‘racing’ to the aid of Hurricane Harvey victims

An empty race car trailer sat parked in front of Jackson Tire last week, waiting to be packed with supplies for Hurricane Harvey victims. It left Saturday, headed for the Houston, TX, area.

The idea to stuff this trailer with supplies began with Fletcher Cox, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team, whose hobby is drag racing. “He’s racing when he’s not playing football,” explained Jason Glueck of Jackson Tire, a drag racer himself, although nowadays he races less and watches more.

The racers communicated through social media, seeking a way to help hurricane victims. One racer in Texas mentioned that his church was helping some of the smaller areas outside of Houston that were flooded.

Shawn Sladek, a drag racer (who works at McDowell South in Jackson) volunteered the use of his trailer to carry supplies to that church, but he needed a place to park it while donations came in.

Glueck volunteered the corner of the property at Jackson Tire, which is right on Jackson Boulevard at a stoplight, and is highly visible to a lot of traffic.

They promoted their drive for supplies on radio, TV and Facebook, and the trailer began filling up. When the back filled up last Wednesday, Glueck moved some supplies into the front section which is normally Sladek’s living quarters when he’s at races.

Donated supplies have included food, clothing, personal hygiene items and even dog food for those canine flood victims.

To pull the trailer to Houson, Morlan Dodge in Dexter donated the use of one of its trucks.

Gregory Dullum has worked for The Cash-Book Journal for more than 25 years. Prior to becoming the editor in May 2017, he was production manager, circulation manager and reporter. Before moving to Cape Girardeau in 1988, he was editor of the Saint Louis Park Sailor, a weekly community newspaper in suburban Minneapolis, MN. A native of Minnesota, he returned there after graduating with distinction in 1978 from Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA, with a degree in mass communications. His wife, Marie, whom he met in college, is a native of Zalma, a small town in southeast Missouri. They have two grown daughters and five grandchildren. Gregory may be reached at cashbook@mvp.net.

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