The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has affected a lot of people.

While some have had the chance to help, former Brewton resident Matt Overstreet is part of that group.

Overstreet, 25, and a 2003 graduate of T.R. Miller High School, spent many of his younger days on the sands of the beaches in the gulf.

Now a graphic designer and a resident in Mobile, Overstreet came up with his own unique way of trying to help save and protect the beaches he loves and visited as a kid.

Working at Southern Sports Supply making T-shirts, Overstreet designed a T-shirt and is selling the shirts to help raise money for cleanup efforts.

“I mainly did it because this whole oil spill thing disturbs me and I was looking for a way to help the cause,” Overstreet said. “I moved to Mobile in 2005 to attend South Alabama for Graphic Design and living in Mobile made me have a deeper appreciation and love for the coast. I recently got a job as a Graphic Designer at a T-shirt company in Mobile, and I started going through some old designs from college and found a design with a crab I did my Sophomore/Junior year at South.”

Overstreet said his initial inspiration for the design was the 1775 Navy Jack flag that says, “Don’t Tread On Me.”

“I believe it’s a bold and defiant design that fits perfectly with the spill situation going on now,” he said. “So, I just changed the initial design I did in college up a little bit and pitched my idea to the boss and now we’ve printed and sold about 200 of them.”

Overstreet said the money raised from the sales of the shirts, a portion goes to support the cleanup process.

“I am working with the Mobile BayKeepers with a good portion of the proceeds going to their environmental organization to help with the clean up effort.”

The T-shirts come in many different sizes and colors and can be purchased for $10 at Southern Sports Supply in Mobile.

The store is located at 5465 Cottage Hill Road in Mobile and the telephone number is 251- 666-4602.