2 minute read
AJ Robbins Giving A Helping Hand
HELPINGa Giving AJ ROBBINS HAND
food and toys for the family and let them pick what they wanted.
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Robbins said that some of the things he would buy were pre-mix cakes and rotisserie chickens. “I probably bought 60 rotisserie chickens.” He even said that at one point, he cleaned out the entire stock at Kroger.
by Caylie Howard | photos courtesy of Robbins Dry Cleaners social media page
Amid a global pandemic, Robbins Dry Clean owner AJ Robbins decided to give back to the community in its time of need — and in a very big way.
During the pandemic, Robbins said that he was making a routine delivery to one of his regular customers when he noticed that the family was in desperate need. The family didn’t have any furniture and were sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Robbins felt led to help.
“When I saw what I saw, it boosted me.” how many more people were in a similar position. He then went to Walmart and purchased $2,000 worth of food and toys for the families in need that had reached out. Robbins said, “By the time my wife and I woke up the next morning, we had 106 to 108 messages of people needing help.”
Robbins also used his business to help since many of his customers even pitched in to help with donations. This included everything from food to canned goods and cash. Robbins was amazed at some of the donations that people were willing to give. Cecil Dalton with Dalton Flowers gave Robbins $5,000 in Walmart gift cards to purchase food and toys for some of the struggling families.
On Christmas Eve, Robbins said that he got a phone call from a family that had no food to put on their table and were desperate to feed their children. Robbins left his own family dinner and went out and purchased
Robbins and his wife reached out through social media and various apps to find out Robbins said that people were still reaching out on New Year’s Eve, asking for help during these difficult times. With the need still strong, Robbins decided to take action and make it happen one more time.
With the help of the donors, Robbins was able to feed 74 families in need. He even pre-made boxes of toys for families that he knew had children.
This pandemic has caused hardships for many people in our community. This was a cause that was close to Robbins’ heart. Robbins’ family has also gone through financially tough times. He knows what it’s like to have your back against the wall. He knows what it’s like not to be able to put food on the table. Because of his experiences, he went to great lengths to help local families in his community. And because of that, the holidays were a little brighter.
