HOUSTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, members of the Galveston Police Department ruined their boots. The officers had been living on their feet, and their footwear was stretched to the limit by the debris and constant moisture.
With a police escort, the Reguladores Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and Waste Management will deliver 140 pairs of new boots to the Galveston Police Department at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. A convoy of motorcycle riders and a Waste Management garbage truck will leave Conroe at 9 a.m., and travel down I-45 to the Galveston Police Department, 601 54th St., in Galveston.
"In the tragedy of Ike, and the difficult times following, it became apparent that people need people," said Todd Vaughn, Montgomery County chapter secretary of the Reguladores. "Our officers who worked exhaustive hours away from their families in all the affected areas deserve our thanks."
The Reguladores is a law enforcement-based motorcycle club, and the Lonestar Chapter in Montgomery County quickly responded to aid officers in the greater Houston area in the days after the hurricane.
Waste Management joined the effort to purchase new boots because the company understands the importance of good boots.
"We employee 30,000 drivers across the country who are on their feet all day, so we make sure that our drivers have the best footwear possible for all types of weather," said Mike Lavengco, Houston market area general manager for Waste Management. "Plus, we consider our drivers to be first responders after the hurricane, working hard to pick up all the household waste that is generated after a hurricane. We can relate to the police officers' need for new boots after Ike."
In addition to supplying new boots, the Reguladores collected $6,300 from its membership and supporters such as the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Association and Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas. That donation was used to buy 6,000 pounds items such as baby products, food, drinks, insect repellent, bleach, buckets and mops. Those items were delivered immediately after the storm to officers across the greater Houston area.
"Those officers held their ground," said Reguladores Lonestar Chapter president Phillip Cash. "They didn't cut and run, and they didn't call in sick. That's Texas, and we want to show are appreciation."
