The Brief
Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale and his company, Gallery Furniture, are donating mattresses to Central Texas flood victims.
The donations are part of a "Purchase With a Purpose" campaign, which provides a mattress to a family in need for every one purchased.
More than 50 volunteers unloaded five 18-wheelers full of mattresses at Lago Vista High School.
LAGO VISTA, Texas - As Central Texas continues to rebuild and grow stronger following these deadly floods, a beloved Texas icon is once again lending a helping hand to Texans in need.
Mattress Mack gives back
Jim McIngvale, most commonly known as "Mattress Mack," along with Gallery Furniture, are donating hundreds of mattresses to flood victims.
When Hurricane Harvey hit, "Mattress Mack" opened his store to those who lost everything.
Now, after the deadly flooding, he’s making sure families have a place to rest their heads at night.
At Lago Vista High School, hundreds of mattresses, of all sizes, were up for grabs. More than 50 volunteers started their day at 5:30 a.m., unloading five 18-wheelers full of mattresses.
The donations came from Gallery Furniture's "Purchase With a Purpose" campaign. When customers bought a mattress, one was donated to a family in need.
Since the disaster, Mattress Mack's team has been on the ground in some of the hardest-hit areas, helping families sift through debris and listening to their stories.
What they're saying
"The floods happened July 4th, and it was devastating, but the need goes on and on and on, and I love that a month later we’re still doing things," said volunteer, Tina Sims.
The community woke up early Saturday morning to do just that.
McIngvale says he hopes this inspires even more Texans to lend a hand.
"It's important for us to give back to the community. We’ve done that for the past 44 years, and it's important for Texans to help Texans. That's something we’ve done for 200 years, so we’re here to help Texans and there's a lot of need obviously," said McIngvale.
Myron Fonseca, with the nonprofit United Cajun Navy, says the donations are about more than just beds.
"This right here is just a great motivational thing because everything is built by morale. People might have a sad face yesterday, but today they should be walking away with a lot of smiles knowing that somebody like this is helping them get a jumpstart," said Fonseca.
For volunteer Tina Sims, the decision to help out was a no-brainer.
"I lived in Houston and I know all of the good things that Mack does there and so when I moved over here I just always stayed in touch and kept up with things. I love being a part of this. I love that he’s still giving back and helping Austin," said Sims.
"I just want to help people out and that’s all we can do. If we’re in a position to do it, we should be helping," Sims went on.
What you can do
If you missed out and would like to help out, Gallery Furniture is also accepting donations for the flood victims.
More info can be found here: Buyone-Giveone – Gallery Furniture
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