How You Can Help People Affected by Hurricane Harvey

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, people along the Texas coast need our help more than ever.

While it’s easy to feel powerless this far from such an unprecedented catastrophe, there are some things you can do here in North Texas to help evacuees and others affected by the hurricane. From donating supplies to displaced families here in North Texas to contributing to rebuilding efforts in southeast Texas, there’s plenty to do.

I’ll update the following list as needed. Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comments, or send them to [email protected].

Go here for a list of restaurants and bars chipping in to Harvey relief efforts, as well as a compilation of venues offering free admission to families displaced by Harvey.

• Donate clothing, toiletries and hygiene products, and non-perishable foods to the volunteer organization the Trusted World. The new drop-off spot is at 3000 W. Kinglsey Rd. in Addison. Follow Trusted World on Facebook for updates on what items are most needed. Donations will be accepted there from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Friday. Go here for volunteer opportunities sorting through donations and for updates on the items most needed, as well as a link to donate. (Note: Trusted World does not need any more clothing donations, except for new underwear and socks. Other items are still welcome.) Trusted World has also opened several other donation spots. Arts Mission Oak Cliff (410 S. Windomere Ave.) is taking items from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sept. 1, and on Sept. 2 from noon to 5 p.m. People can also drop off items at any WIC location in Dallas, the Martin Luther King Commmunity Center at 2922 Martin Luther King Blvd., and the West Dallas Multipurpose Center at 2828 Fish Trap Road. Trusted World will post updates to its Facebook page.
• Dallas ISD is accepting donations of uniforms and school supplies for new students displaced by Harvey. Drop-offs can be made at the DISD Education Center at 9400 N. Central Expressway, between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Sept. 8, except for Labor Day. Go here for more info on the items needed.
• Airbnb hosts in Dallas and elsewhere in Texas can open up their homes to Harvey evacuees for free.
• Donate blood. Carter Blood Care is sending donations to South Texas. Here’s where your nearest location is.
• Donate to food banks. Here is Houston’s. Here is Corpus’. Here is Galveston’s. Here is Victoria’s. Here’s the Southeast Texas Food Bank, which covers Jefferson County, including Port Arthur and Beaumont. Here is the North Texas Food Bank, which is supplying meals at the shelters here in Dallas.
• Donate for pets. The SPCA is helping house displaced animals.
• Donate to aid organizations and efforts. Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city of Houston have launched an official relief fund, and it’s wildly easy to donate. Global Giving is a long way from its $2 million goal. Texans superstar J.J. Watt launched a benefit, and backed it up with $100,000 of his own money. The Coastal Bend Recovery Group is on the ground.
• Think of the homeless. Help the Coalition for the Homeless find places for our most vulnerable citizens.
• Diapers. The Texas Diaper Bank needs help.
• The Red Cross is taking donations, if you don’t want to donate to the locals listed above. Go online, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The organization has teamed with the city of Dallas to open two shelters, the first at the Walnut Hill Recreation Center, which reached capacity Friday evening. The second is at the Tommie Allen Recreation Center at 7071 Bonnie View Road. The city has opened a “mega-shelter” at the behest of the state at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. For more info on how to help out at the convention center, go here.
• The Salvation Army is taking donations.
• Go here for information on organizations that need donations and volunteers to respond to the disaster. Here is a list of organizations approved by the Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster nonprofit. They recommend giving cash.
• Tell your friends and family in southeast Texas to come on up. Dallas is going to dodge heavy rainfall, and we’ve got room. If they can’t stay with you, the city has transformed several recreation centers into shelters. On Tuesday, the convention center downtown will become a “mega-shelter” for evacuees.
• A coalition of groups has created the Harvey Community Relief Fund to help impoverished Houston-area residents and undocumented immigrants in southeast Texas recover from the disaster.
• The city of Dallas has created its own website to coordinate relief efforts.
• If you’re in Harvey’s path and wound up on this page, here are some relevant resources. If you’re looking for shelter information in Dallas, call 211.