Local businesses team up to collect supplies for Tennessee tornado victims

Two South Mississippi businesses, Comeback Coolers and Ocean Springs Supply and Lumber Company, have embarked on a common mission: collecting supplies for storm victims in Tennessee.

Heather Eason is the founder and CEO of Comeback Coolers. She said, “Right now what we’re doing is collecting coolers. We ask people to bring their new or used coolers, and we ask them also to decorate those coolers with words of encouragement, or art, or whatever they want to do.”

Things are stacking up at Ocean Springs Lumber and Supply Company as the collection site for Tennessee tornado victims reaches toward the sky. “Some of the krewes from the parade, they made their own coolers, like the Krewe of Wonder Woman and Moza. They turned in their Comeback Coolers last week. You can see some of these people get really creative.”

Some coolers are packed with donations, many with sweet messages from South Mississippians, but it’s not so much what’s inside these coolers as it is the message they’re sending to others in their time of need. “That’s what gives people hope and lets them know people care. Another good thing about it is no matter what age you are or what you do, everybody can decorate the cooler. If you have a three-year-old child, you can give them some markers and have them color on it. Those things are really meaningful to people.”

You can purchase, stock and decorate your own cooler, or you can make your own donations of non-perishable items, like drinks and fruits. All the donations will be rounded up Friday in Ocean Springs for the Tennessee storm victims. “We’re going to have the packing party at Val’s at 4 o’clock. We should be done packing everything up by 5:30 pm on Friday, so we really need everything before then, and once we pack up the trucks we’ll be heading up to Nashville.”

David Lewis will be along for the ride and is sure to put his years of experience working in the warehouse here to good use in this labor of love. “I will help out wherever I can. In our time of need, they’ve helped us and it’s only fair to repay the favor.”

Anyone wanting to donate or decorate a cooler can pick one up at the Ocean Springs Lumber Supply Store through Friday evening.

There are plenty of other ways to help. You can donate supplies such as drinks, fruit, wet wipes, and sanitizer.

If you can’t make it to Ocean Springs, but would like to make a monetary donation you can send donations through Paypal, Venmo, or through their website at comebackcoolers.com.

Everyone is invited to join ‘Comeback Coolers’ for their packing party at Val’s Sports Bar in Ocean Springs this Friday at 4 p.m. before the group heads to Nashville.