The legend of Mattress Mack keeps growing in the hearts of Houstonians.
The Houston furniture salesman Jim McIngvale, who earned his nickname from Gallery Furniture commercials in which he wore a mattress and exclaimed he would “Save you money!” flew about 40 Hurricane Harvey first responders, military veterans and die-hard Astros fans to Los Angeles for Game 6 of the World Series.
McIngvale chartered a 737 plane for an all-expenses-paid trip for the lucky fans, ABC News and KRIV/Ch. 26 reported. The Astros and Dodgers will decide the World Series in Game 7 Wednesday night at Dodgers Stadium.
“We gave tickets to first responders and to fans, and just to see their face light up was repayment for whatever money I spent a thousand times over,” McIngvale told ABC News. “The first responders are the true heroes of Hurricane Harvey, and what better people to send.”
“I was taught in school, ‘The essence of living is giving,’” he added.
McIngvale, who has long been a local celebrity in Houston, turned his showrooms into evacuation shelters during Hurrican Harvey.
“I decided we’d open the store and make it a shelter for all the people who were disaffected," McIngvale said at the time. “We have these giant 24-foot box trucks that can get through 5 to 6 feet of water. We sent ’em out, picked up about 200 people. They were stranded on bridges, they were stranded in convenience stores, they were walking through the water with snakes and alligators, and we brought ’em out here.”
