Georgia-Pacific Packaging in Mt. Olive donated $5,000 to assist the City of Mt. Olive to rebuild a new city hall and police station after theirs was damaged by a tornado earlier this summer. Michele Hammon, Environmental, Safety and Health Manager at Georgia-Pacific and a resident of Mt. Olive reached out to see how their organization could help.
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“Georgia-Pacific was fortunate that the tornado damage to our operation was not significant, but it was devastating to see the damage to the historic downtown buildings,” said Hammon. “The police department and city hall provide vital services to this community and we wanted to do what we can to help them rebuild.”
As part of its role to facilitate economic development in the area, the Macoupin Economic Development Partnership is helping collect funds on behalf of the city for the rebuilding effort.
“This type of transaction is another example of why MEDP was created and why it’s so important to be a member of MEDP, as the City is,” said MEDP Executive Director Shari Albrecht.
“We appreciate Georgia-Pacific and their donation to the community,” said Mt. Olive Mayor John Skertich. “There is still a lot to be done, but we are taking the necessary steps to get there. The generosity of companies, like Georgia-Pacific, and others who have contributed will help get us there.”
The EF2 tornado ripped through Mount Olive at about 10:00 PM Monday, May 20 damaging business, homes and downing trees and power lines. The tornado struck the city center, traveling east for four blocks bringing winds of 120-125 mph.
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