Six years ago, the late Laurel Police Chief Tyrone Stewart saw a need in the city of Laurel and acted on it by forming an event called “Stuff-a-Truck” and partnering with the Good Samaritan Center to bring in non-perishable food items to those in need. Since his passing, the Laurel Police Department and Laurel Police Chief Tommy Cox have continued the event in honor of Chief Stewart, and this holiday season is no different as they will be hosting the event at the Laurel Wal-Mart on November 2nd and 3rd from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.
“The Stuff-a-Truck is an event we’ve been doing for the past several years. It was started by former Police Chief Tyrone Stewart. He had a big heart to do things like this. We have kept it going in his memory,” said Cox. “We’ve been able to extend it with putting it on during a day in the summer and two days near holiday times.”
“This is the first time we’ve done this on a Monday and Tuesday, but we believe since it is the first of the month people will be out and about,” added Chief Cox.
He also noted how much the Good Samaritan Center does for the community and their willingness to help those in times of trouble.
“We are helping our friends out at the Good Samaritan Center. They have a food pantry and help people who are down on their luck. They do so much for the city. They work with the Domestic Abuse Center and give vouchers to abuse victims so that they can get items at no charge so that they can get on their feet. Of course, they also have a soup kitchen where they serve meals each day. They serve so many people and assist them in times of need.”
Sybil Sprouse, who is the Case Manager of Community Outreach at the Good Samaritan Center said there has been an increase in people they have seen come through the doors at their locations.
“We serve anywhere from 300 to 350 people per day at the soup kitchen where we are doing to-go plates now due to COVID,” said Sprouse. “I see roughly five to nine families per day when I am here at the food pantry.”
She also noted that they will accept personal hygiene items as they do personal hygiene bags filled with toothbrushes, hairbrushes, soap, and other necessities.
Cox also noted that the community has supported the event each year with it seemingly growing at every event.
“The community has supported this each year and we have so much success. We typically have multiple truckloads of food. Members of their staff will be on-site to handle any monetary donations that are made. We let them handle anything dealing with physical money,” said Chief Cox. “Typically on the two-day event, we get four to five truckloads of food. We hope people are feeling generous and are already in that Thanksgiving and Christmas spirit because it has been a tough year for a lot of people.”
It was also noted that Wal-Mart has been a willing partner each time the Laurel Police Department puts on the event.
“It is an honor for myself and the whole department to be able to do this,” exclaimed Chief Cox. “I also want to add how supportive Wal-Mart is of this project. The people there are happy to have us and are supportive of what we are doing.”
“Just give from your heart because this is a really good cause,” noted Sprouse. “These items go to a lot of needy people, a lot of children in need. Since COVID has hit, we are serving a lot more people who have lost their jobs. You can make a difference in someone’s life.”