The folks at Reach Out America Water Distribution in Ohio didn’t really get it, I think, when they got a $10,000 check from someone named “Soul Man” Sam Moore and his wife, Joyce.
They do now. Sam is the legendary R&B star, member of the Rock Hall of Fame, and Grammy winner who’s famous for songs like “Hold On, I’m Coming” and “Soul Man.” Sam and Joyce saw long it was taking for anyone to help the people of East Palestine, Ohio, so they took matters into their own hands. They sent their check to Reach Out America for water delivery immediately.
When Sam sings Hold on, I’m coming, he means it.
Reach Out America was grateful even though they didn’t realize at first the provenance of the help.
And then, a weird coincidence: Joyce Moore tells me that “a very dear friend and colleague of Sam’s and mine when he found out what we had done for East Palestine shared the fact that he grew up 10 minutes from there. A good chunk of his family, sister, aunt, nieces and nephews and long time friends are stuck there just having to live with it all and deal with what’s happened and happening because most of the town folk don’t owe mortgages but they don’t have any way to sell their properties and relocate so they were at the mercy of whatever is happening and praying to God.”
They were thirsty, too.
You send money for water for the folks in East Palestine to Feed the Children or Reach Out America. The news cycle has moved on, but the problems associated with the train derailment persist.
Here’s an UPDATE– a video thank you from Reach Out America
