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How to help people in Texas battered by winter storms

We’ve compiled a list of places to donate money or goods.
 
An HEB grocery store employee hands out flowers to customers waiting in line in the snow Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Austin, Texas. The store did not have any milk, eggs, meat or refrigerated items. Temperatures dropped into the single digits as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
An HEB grocery store employee hands out flowers to customers waiting in line in the snow Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Austin, Texas. The store did not have any milk, eggs, meat or refrigerated items. Temperatures dropped into the single digits as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis) [ ASHLEY LANDIS | AP ]
Published Feb. 18, 2021

The need for help in Texas has grown as many without power and other resources struggle to find shelter, food and warmth while unprecedented winter storms blanket the Lone Star State in snow and ice.

We’ve gathered a collection of organizations where you can help with money or donations.

  • In Austin, the area Urban League has started a #LoveThyNeighborTX campaign to raise money for hotel rooms, food, water, clothing, and other basic needs of the housing insecure communities. Share the page aaul.org/love-your-neighbor and tag the AAUL with the hashtag #LoveThyNeighbor.
  • Austin Pets Alive, SPCA of Texas and Operation Kindness is working to keep pets across Texas warm and safe during the freezing conditions. The groups need heating pads, Styrofoam coolers, dog beds, heat lamps and monetary donations.
  • Mutual Aid Houston, Austin Mutual Aid, San Antonio Regional Mutual Aid and Feed the People Dallas are all working to provide housing, food and other support systems to those in need.
  • Feeding Texas has a comprehensive list of food banks across the state, searchable by zip code at feedingtexas.org/get-help.
  • Support local journalists as they respond to the crisis and get the word out by donating to a GoFundMe set up for the Austin American-Statesman, the Dallas Morning News, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The journalists in Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin are working to provide information to their communities all while being hit by the same threats. This fund is being organized to help the journalists that are struggling with power, housing and protection for themselves while doing their jobs.
People wait in line to fill propane tanks Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Houston. Customers waited over an hour in the freezing rain to fill their tanks. Millions in Texas still had no power after a historic snowfall and single-digit temperatures created a surge of demand for electricity to warm up homes unaccustomed to such extreme lows, buckling the state's power grid and causing widespread blackouts. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) [ DAVID J. PHILLIP | AP ]