Hundreds of Convoy of Hope volunteers gathered in Joplin, Mo., this past Memorial Day weekend to help distribute food, water and other relief supplies to victims of the May 22 tornado that leveled much of the city.

Fifty thousand people live within the city limits of Joplin, but more than 200,000 work, shop and attend college in the city on a daily basis.

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“The emotional and economic toll on this region is enormous,” says Jeff Nene, senior director of public relations for Convoy of Hope, “We are so grateful for our partners that are standing with us to help the residents of Joplin in their greatest hour of need.”

NASCAR racer Jamie McMurray, whose car bore the Convoy of Hope logo in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., grew up in Joplin and is bracing for an emotional return this Thursday to survey the damage and increase awareness of the tremendous amount of need.

FEMA is reporting that of the 7,105 single homes it surveyed, more than 6,200 were destroyed. McMurray’s childhood home was among them.

NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray’s childhood home in Joplin, Mo.

McMurray, his racing sponsors, and also Michael Waltrip Racing teams are hosting monetary and product collections in Springfield and the Kansas City area this week for Convoy of Hope to help tornado victims.

So far, more than 20 tractor-trailers of relief supplies have been delivered to Joplin and Convoy of Hope’s response is far from over. Convoy of Hope is monitoring evolving product needs as survivors begin to transition to debris removal and cleanup.

Click here to help Convoy of Hope meet needs in Joplin and around the world.

If you are interested in donating items please contact Convoy of Hope prior to sending the items to its World Distribution Center in Springfield or to Joplin. Items currently needed are new shovels, rakes, cleaning products, buckets and facemasks.