Caring for his community and those around him is at the heart of everything Truck Driver Marvin Harris does, which is why he received a Mr. George Gold Coin Award.

Feb. 19 started as a typical morning for Marvin. He clocked in, received his route for the day and found out his 1st stop was in LaGrange, Georgia. He was on the road by 3:30 a.m. As Marvin approached his 1st store, he received a weather alert on his phone about a tornado watch.

Marvin and the store associates who were going to help him unload the truck stayed safe inside until the tornado watch was lifted.

Once the tornado watch was over and the truck was unloaded, Marvin was on the road to his next stop. He noticed cars flashing their headlights at him, so he slowed down and when he saw police cars ahead of him, he pulled over. 6 trees had fallen during the storm and were blocking both lanes of traffic.

Marvin decided he wouldn’t just sit there and watch the police officers move all the trees, so he put on his rain jacket and walked over to help.

“There were 5 of us, and we were out there for almost 4 hours,” said Marvin. “One of the officers had a chain saw, and the other 3 officers and I helped move all the chopped pieces out of the way.”

“Mr. George often said, ‘We’re not only in the grocery business, we’re in the people business,’ and the care you demonstrate to your community is a perfect example of that,” said Marvin. “I listened to that inner voice telling me to help because I knew it would make a difference and help keep people safe on the road.”

Marvin’s story was shared by one of the police officers on Facebook, and it quickly went viral.

“I didn’t expect to be recognized so much,” said Marvin. “It makes me happy because a small act of kindness reached more people than I ever thought it would, and I know it makes my family proud.”

At the Atlanta Safe Driver Awards, Marvin was given his gold coin and honored by his peers.

“Everyone was asking me if they could hold the gold coin because they had never seen one before,” said Marvin. “I felt special and inspired because I think it shows that even though truck drivers might not get to interact with people as much as a retail associate, we still make a difference every day.”

Take a moment to read about other Mr. George Gold Coin recipients.