Extending a helping hand
The past month has been filled with tragic news regarding natural disasters, from Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the southeastern Texas community in August, to the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico on Sept. 19. Even for the most sympathetic people, finding the best mode to support those directly impacted by the natural disasters can be daunting.
Local businesses have recently assumed a role for Davis residents who wish to aid in natural disaster relief. Community businesses like the Davis Food Co-op and Sudwerk Brewing Co. channeled their efforts this month towards raising money for post-disaster aid.
According to the Davis Enterprise, the Davis Food Co-op donated over $3,000 to the Feeding Texas food banks following Hurricane Harvey. The Co-op raised funds by collecting donations from customers, a process the business continued at its registers until Sept. 30.
Lis Harvey, manager of the Davis Food Co-op, was pleasantly surprised by the number of donations the Co-op received.
“In a month full of upheaval, our community’s generous and immediate response has been a bright spot,” Harvey said.
While the Co-op’s donation exhibits the philanthropic nature of the Davis community, the donation is an infinitesimal portion of the fundraising necessary to account for the damages caused by this year’s hurricane season. Accuweather, an online weather database, estimates that the cost of repairing damaged communities in southeastern Texas, southern Florida and other affected areas is an unprecedented $290 billion. As a potential humanitarian crisis begins to unfold in Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean following the destruction from Hurricane Maria, the U.S. government is struggling to supply aid to those affected by the storms.
Kathleen Brandl, the Dock Store manager for Sudwerk Brewing Co., reflected on her fellow employees’ desire to assist communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters.
“Sudwerk really prides itself in having fundraiser events,” Brandl said. “Normally, they are locally focused, but because of the recent disaster down in Texas, we felt that it was totally appropriate to branch out.”
The Dock Store taproom hosted an event on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Fundraising was generated through draft sales during the four-hour event. Brandl stated that the event “exceeded expectations,” with over 100 people in attendance and more than $340 raised. The money was donated to the hurricane-impacted recipients of the RAICES foundation, a Texas nonprofit for underserved immigrant and refugee families.
Several local businesses are leading the fundraising campaign for natural disaster relief and making way for other organizations to follow in a similarly charitable spirit. For more information about how to aid those affected by the most recent natural disasters in the southern United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, see the information below:
United States — American Red Cross
Mexico — Global Giving
Puerto Rico — United for Puerto Rico
Written by: Eliana Sisneros — city@theaggie.org
