I have eat, slept and breathed disaster relief for eleven days as a certified Red Cross Volunteer. Over the weekend, while collecting a semi-truck full of supplies with many volunteers, I had a wonderful experience with an Auburn fan. I never asked him if he was a Toomer for Tuscaloosa volunteer, but I can tell you he was genuine. It's hard for me to be incognito with this tattoo on my leg, so I proudly wear my crimson script A everywhere. This guy, his name was Wes, wearing his Auburn cap, came up to me and was very tearful, asked me what specifically what the needs were, where our truck was going, etc. I made the spill about rakes and shovels and trashbags and gloves, etc., and that we were headed to Smithville, MS but we had learned that Smithville was inundated with relief that very morning due to commercial donations (Walmart, KMart, Sams, Publix, Kroger, etc.) so we would be sharing with other sites, i.e., Tuscaloosa, AL. He went straight away and came back soon with the back of his truck filled with supplies....probably $500 or $600 worth. While we were unloading the truck, he made some football talk, and one of the things he said was very telling: "This is not about football. We live our football in the South, but this is not football. This is human tragedy. I say keep it on the field....every now and then we'll get lucky and win." I didn't vocally comment about football, just nodded and smiled, but when we were done unloading, I thanked him profusely for the generosity of his gift.
