Alfred Wibble, 63, of Herculaneum said he feels especially blessed this holiday season.
His 1993 Ford F150 pickup was stolen around 7 a.m. Oct. 31 from outside the Festus-Crystal City Elks Lodge, where he works part time in the kitchen.
However, lodge members snapped into action, took up a collection, and about 12 hours later, they surprised Wibble with a vehicle to replace it – a 2006 Ford Explorer.
Wibble, who also works for Courtois Cleaning, the company that cleans the lodge in Crystal City, said he was overwhelmed by the donation.
“People within the Elks Lodge – the members and patrons who come there – had a private get-together and made this happen for me. I was so moved. I didn’t know what to say or how to act,” he said. “I never had that kind of gift before.”
Wibble said Elks member John Bunch, who also works at Auto Plaza Group in De Soto, was instrumental in the effort to replace his truck.
“It was a situation where an employee of the Elks Lodge who had been walking to work finally got a truck, and it was stolen,” Bunch said. “He’s just a good person, a good employee. In about two hours, a group of lodge members raised money, about $2,000, for a vehicle.
“We’ve got a good group of people at the Elks. They care about people.”
Bunch said Auto Plaza Group in
De Soto also contributed to the fundraising effort.
“This was a partial donation of Auto Plaza,” he said. “We took care of repairs and got it ready to give to Mr. Wibble.”
Dave Davis, an Elks board member and past exalted ruler, said the lodge’s members take care of each other.
“When you work with us long enough, whether you’re a member of the lodge or not, you become a member of the family,” he said.
Wibble said he appreciates the gift.
“I’m so happy and full of joy,” he said. “John Bunch and his other friends surprised me by giving me a vehicle. It would have made it difficult to get to work without a vehicle. This is a great help to me. These people are truly great people and friends.”
Wibble said Crystal City Police later recovered his old pickup, and the thieves had spray-painted it, ripped out the radio and damaged the transmission. He also said tools that were inside the truck were not recovered.
“I lost my tools, but that’s OK. I got a Ford Explorer,” he said. “I’m blessed in so many ways.”