Anytime you pose the question to the Facebook masses in Sapulpa, “What are we missing?” There’s no shortage of answers. People rush to chime in with their own desires (“A Chili’s!”) and some ask for accountability to our officials (“When are we going to get that new Animal Shelter?”).
There’s one thing that Sapulpa never seems to lack, and that’s the compassion and willingness to act when a member of our community needs the help. Last week we saw two shining examples of that through the procurement of a steady supply of donations to the new Food Pantry at Water Street Tattoo, and through the effort and organization of a Spaghetti Dinner benefit, thanks to a few volunteers and the Sapulpa Sapulpa Elks Lodge.
More than a Tattoo Shop
Brandon Mull, who owns Water Street Tattoo, is a longtime community activist supporting various causes, ranging from picking up trash around Holmes Park Elementary, to advocating for the termination of Sapulpa Schools’ Superintendent.
Most recently Mull began a pantry in his shop to fill a need he saw in the community for a steady supply of perishables to families and individuals that might otherwise be doing without.
Like most things Mull does, it didn’t take long for the community to take notice and begin pitching in. At one point, Mull said that he went to renew his car tag and the folks at the tag agency gave him donations for the food pantry.
Thankfully, these stories are not new. They’re not few and far between. They’re wonderful, but they’re not uncommon.
The Elks Come to the Rescue
Another business owner, Diane Gloden of Little Bit of Country, saw again the generosity of her town when her son and his wife found that the twins they were expecting were sharing a sac and placenta, causing complications.
Gloden previously made the news when a gift from Rustic Cuff founder Jill Donovan enabled them to renovate the store that had been damaged by a microburst of tornadic activity in May of 2016.
Gloden’s son Joseph Addison and his wife Shayla discovered that the twins—named Luca and Ryker—were among the 1% of twins sharing a sac and placenta, but the difference wasn’t without its drawbacks.
Ryker was diagnosed with a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), which caused his stomach and intestines to be pushed into his chest cavity and his heart and lungs be underdeveloped. In order to monitor the babies, it became necessary for Joseph and Shayla Addison to head to Houston at 24 weeks.
The Sapulpa Elks Lodge organized a spaghetti benefit lunch and dinner, and through the help of some volunteers were able to raise $5,000 in a single day for the Addison Twins to help pay their bills and travel expenses.
Jordan Ascensio, who helped organize the event, told Sapulpa Times that all of it was able to go straight to the Addison Family because Brian Stephens paid for all the food and the Lodge paid for all of the supplies. We also had volunteers cook, clean and deliver almost 300 meals.
Brian Stephens, says that the Lodge has done spaghetti benefits like this one for the community for over 60 years. “It’s a great way to raise money for a lot of different things and get the community involved,” he said. “Proud to be apart of it.”
It’s takes all of us, it’s takes each of us
Stephens, who is running for Ward 2 City Councilor, has also been spotted hauling off trash at the request of various citizens for the better part of a year. Earlier this month he reportedly hauled off four tons of trash in day for Sapulpa.
Stories from folks giving of their time and their money to support each other and our local institutions are the stories we love to write. We’re grateful that we get to write these stories often.
If you have stories to share, please send them to news@sapulpatimes.com
