KHQA is going to catch up with Quincy's 6th Ward Alderman Jim Musolino who spent his Memorial Day weekend in Joplin, Missouri.
Jim Musolino was on his way back to Quincy on May 22nd and was through western Missouri when he heard the pleas for help on several radio stations from the Joplin area.
Those repeated pleas hit Jim Musolino and now he says he wants to help in the recovery and is asking the Tri State area to help him with his mission.
He says he's continuing to hear from people who want to donate items for the trip he plans to make to Joplin this weekend. This will be his second trip to the area in as many weeks since the F-5 tornado hit on May 22nd.
"Hearing the frantic calls from the radio station for first responders from all over that area down there. It hit me in the heart. I've helped out with food pantries and things like that. Nothing like a disaster cleanup like this," said Musolino.
He says he made the first trip to Joplin a week after the devastating tornado with four other people from the Quincy area. He says when they first got to Joplin they were directed to Missouri Southern State University for directions and orientation on how to help in the cleanup.
"We started helping people remove construction stuff out of the yard. The shingles, the 2 x 4's. It was just absolutely disaster. It's so hard to describe. Everything is leveled and the homes that were three, four blocks away have such damage that they'll have to be knocked down," according to Musolino.
He said after working through the Memorial Day weekend to help with the cleanup, he decided to adopt two families and provide them with donated items and gift cards from people here in the Tri State area. He says it's the least he can do for the people who lost nearly everything in just a matter of minutes.
Now if you'd like to donate money, or gift cards, or clothing or furniture, you can contact Musolino on his cell phone at 217-653-6084. He says he plans to make a trip to the Joplin area this weekend and again on June 11th and 12th.
In the meantime, if you are looking for ways to help, click here to visit our Joplin Tornado Relief page.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA