It’s probably a safe bet that no one in Gatlinburg, Tenn., has ever heard of Cave Township.
Located in Thompsonville, it’s one of 12 Franklin County townships and encompasses a rather small area of about 2 square miles. But the nearly 1,750 people there have big hearts and are making their impact in the wake of last week’s tragic fire in Gatlinburg.
Joining people from across the nation including some big names such as Dolly Parton and Reba McIntyre, the folks from the small community are collecting donations to take to the victims of the fire. They’ve named their initiative “Pack the Bus for Gatlinburg.”
Township Supervisor Denise Smith, who is also employed as a bus driver for Thompsonville schools, is the driving force behind the plan.
“Honestly, I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to donate,” she says. “There were two or three places collecting and I just couldn’t get my stuff together in time. Another driver said the same thing.”
Smith had the idea of starting her own local collection. She approached Thompsonville Schools Superintendent Chris Grant with her idea. “I asked Chris if we could get the school involved and use a bus to collect the items,” she said.
Grant’s response was “run with it.”
One of the district’s buses now sits in front of the school bearing a banner that says “Pack the Bus for Gatlinburg.”
High School Principal John Robinson says he is proud that his school is able to help.
“This is really a community effort,” he says. “We’re just providing a place for the collection and a bus.”
Smith has been in contact with several organizations in the Gatlinburg area that have provided her with a list of supplies that are needed. Those include clothing in good shape, new undergarments and socks, cleaning supplies, baby food, diapers, bottles, toiletries and non-perishable food items.
“There is one organization, the Christmas Place, that is holding a toy drive for the kids for Christmas,” she says. New toys for kids of all ages are being gathered to help provide a happy Christmas to the “little ones whose families have lost everything.” Smith says organizers there told her they would “be waiting on the loading dock when we arrive.”
Smith plans to use the township office to organize the donations that will be dropped off at half a dozen locations in the Gatlinburg area.
“We will collect through Dec. 15, load on the 16th and pull out on the 17th,” she says.
Anyone wanting to donate can contact Smith at the township office at 618-627-2221 or on her cell phone at 618-927-8006.
Two juveniles in Gatlinburg were arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated arson in connection with the fires that killed 14 and destroyed nearly 18,000 acres, and more than 2,400 structures, including around 1,700 homes.
