OKLAHOMA RELIEF HEADS OUT MONDAY

Last week Bryan Singleton, co-manager of Cape Girardeau's Wal-Mart Supercenter, figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, and people responded to the needs of victims from the recent Oklahoma and Kansas tornadoes.

Area residents and businesses filled a tractor-trailer with disaster relief items during the fourth annual Random Acts of Kindness Week.

The trailer, parked near the store off Route K, will head to Oklahoma this week, with the supplies.

Donations will still be accepted today.

The call to kindness was heard across the region this past week as thousands of people participated in good deeds, big and small.

Much of the disaster relief truck was filled by a donation from Procter and Gamble. The company gave 759 cases of baby diapers and wipes, filling more than half the truck.

"P&G works closely with Wal-Mart on a number of things," Singleton said. "I thought I would give them a call and see if they would be able to help."

At first, the plant said it would send 380 cases. "Then they said `We can do better,'" Singleton explained. More than twice that many cases were delivered.

Volunteers from Wal-Mart unloaded the truck. Cart pushers, cashiers, department managers and Singleton worked together to stack the diapers and wipes in the trailer.

The diaper donation joined gifts from individuals and school groups and organizations from throughout the community.

"A lot of people in the community had expressed an interest in doing something to help," Singleton said. "We were able to get Wal-Mart transportation to agree to take a load of supplies."

Cape Girardeau was among three communities across the nation conducting a similar disaster relief effort with Wal-Mart. The others were Paris, Texas, and Hot Springs, Ark.

"I think this is a great thing the community has done," Singleton said.

Jimmy Forriester and John Freeman, volunteers from Mid-America Teen Challenge, manned the trailer most of the week and loaded donations.

Forriester smiled as he recalled children and schoolteachers who brought items to the trailer. Families and other groups also made trips to the trailer with donations.

When the truck and trailer loaded with P&G diapers arrived Friday afternoon, volunteers from the Wal-Mart store worked on their own time to stack the donation in the trailer.

Wal-Mart employees were also challenged to donate at least one can of food to the effort.

"We have 500 associates," Singleton said. "That can be quite a donation."

"A lot of us are donating a lot more than one or two cans," said Lola Freeman from Wal-Mart.

The donation wish list includes bottled water, baby formula and food, diapers, sunscreen, hats and caps, lanterns, flashlights, batteries, school supplies, linens, sleeping bags and non-perishable food items.