RICHMOND – Immediately following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Southwest Virginia, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employees organized a donation drive to help. On October 15, DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey took the wheel of DMV’s 40-foot semi-tuck loaded with over 5 tons of supplies donated by DMV employees to deliver them to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) center at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“Needing a semi-truck to deliver the supplies truly speaks to the overwhelming generosity of DMV employees,” said DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey. “A lot is still needed by these communities but when we come together we really can make a difference.”
Along the way, DMV’s truck stopped in Roanoke to collect more supplies from DMV employees in the region and an incredibly generous donation from the employees from the Marriot Group at Roanoke Airport. In addition to supplies such as paper goods, water, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and diapers, the DMV Connect mobile service team took their ‘DMV in a briefcase’ to Damascus, Virginia for over a week to help process transactions to help folks get replacement driver’s licenses and titles and to answer questions. DMV’s Law Enforcement Division helped coordinate this huge effort and delivery meeting the truck along to way and capturing the images we share along with this release.