By Staff
Editor's Note: This letter was sent to Brewton Mayor Ted Jennings in response to an event on Sept. 21. It is reprinted here with permission.
Mr. Jennings, as mayor of Brewton, I though that it was very important to share the following information with you.
On Sunday, September 21, I was returning from the 21st annual Coast Clean Up (a worldwide event) with a group of 27 students. These students had given up their weekend to volunteer and assist with the clean up that was needed after Hurricane Ike pounded the Alabama gulf shores with waves and a storm surge of 20 to 22 feet.
During this return trip, our bus lost pressure in the braking system and forced us to stop at the Conecuh County rest area on Interstate 65 north while we were returning home. The end result was the students being stranded for three hours and 45 minutes until a replacement bus could arrive to take us home.
I contacted three different pizza establishments (two in Brewton) briefly explaining our dilemma and asking if the restaurant would consider making a delivery to us. Two stores quickly told me that they did not deliver, period. The third store which was about a 17 mile trip (one way) initially told me no. I completely understood because of the distance, the price of gas and the amount of time it would take out of a delivery person's schedule. Especially during lunchtime on a Sunday afternoon.
The third store called me back in a few minutes to ask if we had been able to get help. When I responded with a no, they began gathering information to help us. Within an hour the driver arrived with pizzas for our stranded students and had even stopped to get paper plates and a roll of paper towels. I had told them that we had plenty of water to drink.
I want to make sure that the City Council and you are well aware of the fact that the third store that responded to us in our time of need was Pizza Pro owned by Laurence Patton Brewton. I want you to take pride in having a company like this within your community. Pizza Pro took the time to help someone in need during what was potentially a busy time at the store. For the students, it turned what could have been a miserable experience into a bearable event.
Tim Evans
Science Department Chair
Environmental Science Curriculum
Oak Mountain High School
Birmingham