After tragedy struck a beloved garbage truck driver’s household, an entire community has come together to offer their unwavering support. The selfless contributions and displays of generosity are shining examples of the strength of community and the depths of compassion.
If you find yourself in Glendale, MO at the counter of Viale’s Deli, you may notice a picture of Patrick Mack with a donation jar beside it.
Mack is a beloved member of the Glendale community where he drives a garbage truck and delivers smiles.
“He is the mascot of Glendale,” said Sarah Spakowski, a Glendale resident.
“They [the community] love him so much,” Mike Vitale said. “You’ll see Patrick driving up on one of his routes and every child on this street on North Sappington will stop and give him a wave and cheer at him. On his birthday, they made cards for him, they waited out in front of their house for his birthday.”
Another resident, Coleen Sneed, said the community loves Mack like family.
“He just brings so much joy and when we heard about any tragedy he was going through, we were just like, how can we bring that much joy to him and kind of take away his burden, so that’s what we wanted to do. He is always honking at all the kids, waves, smiles, gives huge bear hugs,” she said.
According to Vitale, Mack was already on a leave of absence for rotator cuff surgery when tragedy struck. On March 18, Mack’s daughter, 29-year-old Adayshia Jackson, was killed during a domestic violence dispute.
The tragedy shook Mack to his core, leaving him devastated and two kids without their mother.
Prior to the incident, Mack spent his days spreading joy around the neighborhood along his route, now his community wants to give back to him all the love they’ve received over the years.
“He gives something that nobody does anymore,” said Vitale, “the personal touch and it goes a long way here. It’s not about money here, it’s about how much we love this man and how much we are willing to do for his family because we love him. He’s just a special person to us.”
A group of neighborhood kids spent their spring break selling gum and chips at a table.
“He’s thee best trashman ever,” said 7-year-old Charlie Sneed.
“He honks at us and sometimes gives us a big hug,” 10-year-old Jacob Sneed said.
In three days, the kids raised over $500.
Spakowski said Mack is the kind of man she wants her children to learn from.
“He is the prime example of trying to teach my kids, you get what you give and so he puts that out into the world and now he’s giving it back, so it’s a perfect example to show them,” she said.
It’s abundantly clear that Mack is much more than the garbage collector in this community.
“It’s the little things that make him who he is and that smile he’s got, it says it all,” Vitale said.
A GoFundMe was created to benefit the family, which raised nearly $40K in the first 4 days.
If you would like to donate to the Mack family, you can do so HERE.
Source: KSDK 5 On Your Side
