Tingley and his crew began collecting donations of nonperishable food items, clothes, toiletries, medical supplies, water and more on Wednesday.
Donations can be dropped off at Guardian Exteriors and Restoration, 2296 S. Yellow Springs St., until 11:59 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the convoy will roll out to Morganton, North Carolina with aid in tow.
“It’s what’s on my heart to do. It’s human life; you see people in a bad situation and it’s the calling on my heart to help these folks,” said Tingley. “It’s not about the color of your skin, your ethnicity, whether you’re a man or a woman, not about being a Democrat or Republican. It’s just who I am.”
The goal of Ohio Hope Builders is to “Join hands to change lives” by “helping those in need in times of crisis while building relationships and providing connections to diverse and helpful individuals and contractors in the community.”
Tingley said he hopes to normalize being a “decent human being.”
“I have never had money; I don’t come from money. I struggle myself, but I put helping others in front of helping myself,” he said. “God finds a way to provide.”
Prior to the start of OHB, the group’s founders organized several tornado clean-ups in local communities, led charitable donation drives, and provided monetary assistance to those affected by uncontrollable catastrophic events.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Lineman Kyle Greene — also a founding member of OHB — is currently “boots on the ground” in Morganton helping to restore power to the area while reporting back to Tingley what the current needs are.
“At this moment, we could use a lot more (donations),” said Tingley, who keeps a current list of needs available on the Ohio Hope Builders Facebook page.
Mark Houseman, owner of Guardian Exteriors and Restoration, said Tingley’s intentions are good, and he even helped him in a time of need. The two men met while Tingley was working with Springfield police to organize a warming shelter for the homeless during a Polar Vortex in 2016.
“I saw him out there day and night with me and I just knew this was genuinely in his heart to be a shepherd to the flock, to take care of our fellow man,” said Houseman. “That’s what this life is about.”
Houseman said OHB will spread hope in a time of negativity and serve as a vessel for people who want to give but don’t have the opportunity to take time away from work or families.
“We have been doing this on a wing and a prayer, but OHB makes it official,” said Houseman. “Take the tax write-off, make it official. We will put it to good work.”
Disaster relief donations have come in from as far as Portsmouth, and donors also include local businesses such as Woeber’s Mustard and Rural King.
The initial reason for travelling to North Carolina was to assist with clean-up efforts.
“We will also be taking heavy machinery and fuel,” Tingley said.
The crew will stay in the area and work for at least three days. With Greene’s help, they have been able to map out a safe route into Morganton.
“We’re looking for more volunteers to go with us and donate goods,” Tingley said.
Tingley is also seeking storage spaces around town where OHB can store disaster relief items.
Tingley’s efforts towards disaster relief included numerous trips to Mayfield, Kentucky after the tornado in 2019. But Tingley is also determined to change the rhetoric here in Springfield.
He coordinated clean-up efforts in Clark County after the February EF-2 tornado and continues to organize neighborhood clean-ups in town.
“It is a team effort. It might start with me … but it’s not just me,” he said. “It’s the people that help me do this and the outpouring of love from the community and the donations that helps us do what we are doing.”
The next community clean-up is scheduled for Oct. 19 on Summer Street. Tingley hopes to see more engagement from the community and to have a “Block Party” environment complete with a DJ and food.
“The larger the group, the larger the impact,” said Tingley. “Just got to have the volunteers.”
Tingley accepted a nomination for the Jeff’s Heroes Initiative through Jeff Schmitt Auto Group and was named a finalist. He has asked that any award money go to OHB and not himself.
Tingley said it’s a great feeling to help someone directly and make an impact, knowing the mission has been successful. He said he is “tired of the negativity” surrounding Springfield and encourages people to share their good deeds.
“These days, I’d rather see people post their good deeds and post what they are doing for the community rather than talk about the negativity and complain,” he said. “Springfield is a great city, it’s a great town. We didn’t get the name ‘The Champion City’ for no reason.”
Anyone interested in participating in the next neighborhood clean-up on Oct. 19 can find more information on the OHB Facebook page.
Staff Writer Jessica Orozco contributed to this report.
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