Lending Love on Labor Day: Help Houston
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If you are in the US, today is a holiday. This holiday caps off a three-day (and for some a four-day) weekend.There are all kinds of things that happened this weekend.
For starters, it was the opening weekend of college football. Here in the South, that is HUGE. As in every Saturday is planned from now until the second weekend in December. Most everyone will be in a stadium or in front of a TV on Saturdays. There is a short break where one quickly gets ready for Christmas and then Bowl Season starts mid-December, continuing through January 8, 2018, when the National Championship is played this season in Atlanta, Georgia.
For others, it was a vacation weekend. It’s easier to take off from work when you already have a built-in day off. Some go so far as overseas and others just a short distance from home. Others just have a stay-cation.
The ceiling of our Auburn room
Two of the above options describe me. I was thankful to be at home doing a stay-cation and I was also in front of the TV on Saturday for college football. I am a graduate of Auburn University and therefore bleed orange and blue and yell “War Eagle!” and “Go Tigers”. Even though a little sloppy, my team won 41-7. Having lived in Pasadena, I’m also a UCLA fan. Did you see that comeback against Texas A&M Sunday night? All I can say is Go Bruins!
So, with wins for both my teams, all is right with the world, correct?
No, not really. However fantastic all this sounds, thoughts of Houston kept floating through my mind over the weekend. Hurricane Harvey has devastated so many people and so much of Houston. I can’t help but think of how Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Both cities underwater from hurricanes and both hurricanes hit the two cities around the same time of their respective years, only a few days apart.
Can you imagine???
I can not. I live in an area where tornados are an issue. In fact, we just had one here in Birmingham at the end of last week. Thankfully, it didn’t cause any damage, but so many times they do. Ask anyone in Alabama (and several other states) what April 27, 2011 means to them and they can tell you exactly what happened and where they were that day.
Depending on where you live, we all have threats of different natural disasters. The Gulf coastal cities are high risk for hurricanes. And, just like tornado destruction, the clean up from hurricane flooding and destruction takes an enormous amount of time.
Houston needs our help. Even if just prayers and thoughts, they need our help.
If you are looking for ways to help, below are some links to different organizations. I don’t endorse any one organization, but I do know all of these to be reputable.
The Red Cross -Direct link to help families affected by Hurricane Harvey. You can select a designated amount or specify your own, pay with a credit card or PayPal account.
The Humane Society of the United States – Direct link to help animals affected by Hurricane Harvey. Again you can select an amount or specify your own, pay with credit card, bank account or PayPal.
The Salvation Army – Direct link to help the Salvation Army stay on the front lines of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. You can donate online through a variety of methods or by phone or mail.
The Houston Food Bank is also taking donations a variety of ways such as food, time, hosting drives, and monetary.
The Texas Diaper Bank is accepting donations for diapers, wipes, formula and other baby needs. They are a part of Amazon Smile as well.
If you are local, The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center has a critical shortage and has extended hours in all of its San Antonio locations.
There are countless other ways to donate out there. Just make sure the organization you choose is legitimate.
If you have a question on the legitimacy of an organization, Charity Navigator can help you. Type in the name of the organization and if it comes up in the search, you can click on it and it will give you all kinds of information, including the organization’s EIN number (Employer Identification Number which is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number). The IRS website can help with this as well.
Reflecting on today, Labor Day, brings a whole different connotation to the table for me. My prayers are with the people in Houston. Let’s show Houston some love!
‘Til next time…
Trimm Travels,
