Ways to Help Texans Affected By Hurricane Harvey (Where to Send Diapers & How to Donate)
As I sit here writing this post, my heart just breaks for my hometown of Houston and all of the surrounding areas that have been completely devastated by Hurricane Harvey. ❤️
To give you an idea, the total rainfall from Harvey has reached a record of over 49″ and the average YEARLY rainfall at Bush Intercontinental Airport is 49.76″. That is an unprecedented amount of rain… and it’s still raining!
They desperately need our help! Here’s what you can do…
Make a Donation:
This is going to be one of the most expensive storms ever and one of the best ways to help is to donate money. To donate, visit the American Red Cross or you can also call 1-800-REDCROSS or text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation for those in need. You can also make a donation to the American Red Cross at the participating registers inside Starbucks locations.
You can also donate to the Salvation Army here, or by calling 1-800-SALARMY, or text STORM to 51555. Be sure to keep receipts if you intend to claim those donations on your tax return.
United Way of Greater Houston has also established a Flood Relief Fund to help with recovery needs of those impacted. To give to the United Way Flood Relief Fund, go here or text UWFLOOD to 41444.
Donate Diapers:
According to the Texas Diaper Bank, “Diapers are not provided by disaster relief agencies.” The agency has asked people to donate diapers to families displaced by the storm. You can mail diapers to:
Texas Diaper Bank Disaster Relief
5415 Bandera Road, Suite 504
San Antonio, Texas 78238
Also, I spoke with a lady from Texas Diaper Bank and she asked that if you plan to purchase diapers from Amazon, please use their Amazon Smile Wish List so that items will be sent directly to them.
Give to Food Banks:
Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, said “this is not the time to be donating products or even services. With the floods blocking off streets, when warehouses are not available, there’s no place for these products — there’s no place to store anything, there’s no place to distribute anything. And that’s going to be the case for some time.” Instead, he says, people should give money to groups they trust, and that have the ability to provide aid where it’s needed most.
Want to help provide meals?
There are five Feeding America food banks located in the affected area that need our help. Please consider making a monetary donation to these food banks who are on the front lines of the disaster relief (Feeding Texas is helping to coordinate efforts throughout the state):
- Food Bank of Corpus Christi
- Food Bank of the Golden Crescent
- Houston Food Bank
- Southeast Texas Food Bank
- San Antonio Food Bank
Volunteer at Shelters:
If you are near enough and able to help, the American Red Cross in Texas has asked people to volunteer. The office announced on Friday that it would be training volunteers at their shelters. The Salvation Army also announced it would be accepting volunteers for their shelters.
Give Blood:
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center said they were desperate for blood donations ahead of the storm and are asking those in the area to donate, specifically O negative and O positive blood. You can find your nearest donation center by entering your zip code here.
Donate through Amazon:
To support relief efforts, Amazon and Whole Foods Market will match cash donations made via Amazon – up to $1 million total – to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief. You can donate a minimum of $5 or enter a custom amount that you choose to give.
Donate My Coke Rewards:
Consider donating your My Coke Rewards codes to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, where the money will be used to provide shelter, food and water to those in the impacted areas!
To donate, just head here, sign into your My Coke Rewards account and scan the rewards code from your smartphone or enter it manually. There is no limit to how many codes you can enter and each code is worth 5¢ – 38¢ based on the size of the product.
Care for the Animals:
If you are willing and able to care for the many, many animals coming in from the Gulf Coast, here are a couple ways that you can help…
- Austin Pets Alive is seeking families that can foster cats and large dogs. In addition to cash donations, the organization can also use in-kind donations like large plastic or metal bins with lids. Space for some items is limited so check with the organization first before you gather supplies. If you can help with fostering or in-kind donations, check out their website for details.
- The SPCA of Texas has also put out a call for foster homes to help care for the animals already in shelters and those coming from the Gulf Coast. You can sign up here. The organization is also accepting financial donations and in-kind donations, including cat litter, litter boxes, towels, blankets, large wire crates, toys, treats, pet beds, newspaper and gas gift cards.
Help with Clean-Up:
The Austin Disaster Relief Network is asking for toiletries, inflatable mattresses, undergarments, cleaning tools and more – items can be dropped off at the Hope Family Thrift Store in Austin. Volunteers can also sign up for cleaning efforts at the thrift store or on the ADRN website here.
The Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group needs construction cleanup supplies, including debris containers, truck cranes, forklifts, ladders, containers and nail guns – and more mentioned here.
Know of other ways to help? Please share below!
Written by Mary for Hip2Save. Mary is a proud mom to 3 kids in Austin, TX, who thrives off running long distance, bargain shopping, warm weather, a yummy latte…and a little Candy Crush from time to time. She loves quality time with family & friends and sharing great deals with others.
A small, local art studio (P’zazz Art Studio) in my area put the following post:
“Want to help but not sure what you can do ? Here’s a small tangible way. We have disaster relief teams leaving later this week from Prattville to go help in Houston. One team provides childcare while families are cleaning up or while they are filling out all the forms to apply for help. This childcare team likes to give each child they serve a small new toy. If you’d like to pick up a small doll, ball, car, or stuffed animal we are collecting them today and tomorrow! You can drop them off at the studio.”
I’ll be taking some of my Operation Christmas Child supplies to them for their childcare teams.
Could you please tell me your hours in Prattville?
not my studio. i just saw their post.
Consider donating money through LDS Humanitarian Services. All overhead cost is absorbed by the LDS church, so 100% of donations go to relief efforts. And they are always one of the first agencies on the ground when there are disasters. In fact they have trucks of goods staged outside of Houston just waiting for the roads to clear. They really know how to get in and get things done and bring relief to the broken hearted.
https://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services.html
Thanks! I was wondering how to donate through the church 🙂
Thanks for posting this. I am a member of the LDS church and plan on donating through them.
Thank you for sharing this info. Had donated to Red Cross but just purchased diapers though the link you shared. Every little bit helps!
You’re welcome Jill!
Wonder if pampers points can be donated towards diapers…
Thank you for posting this. We are in North Houston and there is so much destruction and so many people left without homes. Many of these homes are currently under water- and most do not have flood insurance- so essentially all these families are having to start from scratch. Any little bit helps.
You’re welcome!
Just used the Amazon smile link. Very easy to donate and I’m confident these will get out to good use!
I have a lot of extra diapers that are not in the box after my youngest got potty trained about a year ago. Would I be able to send those or do they only want boxed ones?
These would be great to donate to your local diaper bank! If they don’t take open diapers, you can donate them to someone on freecycle or a B/S/T Facebook group. There are always families appreciative of diapers!
I had just sorted through diapers the other day as my littlest probably won’t use the larger size diapers we have. Most are still sealed in a box, but a couple of packages are open. Our local shelters don’t take opened packages. When looking into where I could donate diapers, I came across this post. It has a post from the Texas Diaper Bank that says they will take open packages of diapers. It asks that the diapers not be dirty and you place the packages in sealed plastic bags with the sizes clearly labeled. More info can be found here, including the mailing address. https://www.scarymommy.com/donate-diapers-hurricane-harvey/
I need diapers! I am located on the northside of Texas!! My address is 4200 Cypress Creek Parkway Apt. 834 Houston, TX 77068
I specifically need size 1 diapers!
Thank you for posting this! My inlaws and husbands family are in Houston and are going to lose mostly all of their household items it came so high! My mother in law was in Chicago visiting and got the call of “what actually do you need saved because we only have so much time.” She said paper documents and a few photos. 😥
They have never flooded in the home and I can’t even imagine the shock of this happening.
You’re very welcome Rachel! SO sorry to hear about that!
Thank you for sharing this information ♥️
YW!
Thanks for the link . GOD BLESS EVERYONE
You’re very welcome!
YouCaring.com/JJWatt
request donations go to JJ Watt’s YouCaring charity
Thanks for posting these. I did the diapers and feel like these are something that will be needed used.
You’re welcome Jenny!
donated 2 boxes diapers– ty !!
Awesome! You are SO welcome!
Thank u for this info!!!
You’re welcome Stacy!
Thank y’all for posting such an informative post about donating! I had no idea about the diaper bank and Amazon matching donations. I did both and continue to do more this week. God bless y’all! From, Erica in Houston, Texas
You’re very welcome Erica!
I hate to say it, but based on my own research and on my family’s experiences in New York after Sandy, I would actually NOT recommend the Red Cross. I go into more detail in my blog post (https://blindinjusticeblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/29/where-to-donate-and-where-not-to-donate/), but after Sandy, they were more busy with photo-ops than helping people. Religious organizations actually did some of the best work in my area after the disaster.
True. Red Cross only donates 10% of donations. I will never donate to red cross. There are other charities like world vision etc
Here some info from NPR regarding the Red Cross. https://www.npr.org/2016/06/16/482020436/senators-report-finds-fundamental-concerns-about-red-cross-finances
Yes, I agree about NOT donating to the Red Cross. One of my friends is down there working with a group called the Cajun Navy 2016. Please consider donating to them instead. Here’s what he said: (they accept PayPal donations to cajunnavy2016@yahoo.com)
All I can say right now is Red Cross is barely present. The Cajun Navy we’re with actually fed them yesterday. FEMA is nowhere to be seen. PDs and FDs are overwhelmed. We even had to provide water to National Guard today because resources are so thin. The evacuation center had zero baby supplies or food when we arrived. They did have water and some dog food. Cajun Navy is legit and takes donations. Or start convoys of supplies. Media is saying civilian volunteers aren’t needed but civilians are 100% who is helping the most. It’s chaos.
I have heard good stuff about the Cajun Navy!!! That was another thing which stuck out after Hurricane Sandy in New York–local organizations did tons of good work. And the Cajun Navy is a local (statewide) organization, and a legit one at that, so it’s no surprise they’re doing good work.
Thanks for letting us know!
Order Number: 112-0314267-3454641
4 items will be shipped to Texas Diaper Bank by Amazon.com.
Do you think post office mail out for free?
Can pull ups be donated along with diapers?
Pull ups and larger size diapers are always appreciated!!
I know that some people don’t realize that these items are also needed for the older children.
Thank you so much! I used their Wish List and picked the item they had the least of. Glad I can help in a small way. God Bless everyone in Texas!
You’re so welcome!
I sent a text donation to the Red Cross using the info in this post, but I haven’t gotten a text confirmation/reply yet. Does anyone else know if they will reply so I know that my donation went through?
I heard on the news last that it’s taking hours for the donation confirmations to be sent. You should receive it soon.
thank you for this post. I’ve send two boxes of pampers. FYI… target is having a $10 gc for 2 boxes of selected diapers…
Oh awesome! Thanks for the heads up! You’re most welcome! 🙂
Thank you! The Amazon Wishlist was so easy. I really appreciate that you provided the opportunity to help.
You’re welcome!
Samaritan’s purse is taking donations as well. They have volunteers there in Houston and surrounding communities.
Love this – thank you for posting and all the info and options! My husband and I were hoping to sponsor/adopt/help a family. Has anyone ever heard of a program like that? Any help or suggestions would be great.
I haven’t heard of any organized program for matching families. Here is a Go Fund Me link set up by a friend of mine for her elderly parents who have lost everything and her father is starting dancer treatment. I am certain they would welcome any help. Feel free to get in touch with them via the link if you feel moved to do so. gf.me/u/ckyubt
Another fabulous, thouroghly vetted, 501(c)(3) tax deductible organization is the Greater Houston Community Foundation. http://Www.ghcf.org. All proceeds go directly to the local Houston Harvey relief fund.
Prayers to all!
My local small town community was devastated by the flood also but has not gotten much, if any media coverage. La Grange and Columbus Texas were both affected by the flooding rains of the hurricane. Hundreds lost homes and businesses S the Colorado river rose past its shores and flooded parts of town. Consider donating to them as well, please. So far this is all that’s set up for electronic donations for Columbus. We are taking collections and donations at Heinsohn’s Store in Frelsburg for the Weimar Veterans Hall. They can paypal us at leslie@heinsohn.com and we will make sure the Veteran’s Hall gets it.
Thanks for the information. I am sending a package of his items tomorrow. I used prime now and the $10 off code to send diapers and wipes.
I meant hba, not his.
Thank you so much for this website. I just bought 4 diaper refill packs and sent to Texas Diaper Bank. They just posted an Amazon wishlist direct link. They stated to make sure to use the DIRECT link under their Facebook page; there are fake wishlists on Amazon already being associated with their name 🙁 How pathetic.
Walgreens now has a register prompt where you can donate to the red cross when making your purchase. Way to go. Fast response.
Team Rubicon will accept monetary donations. They are USA former service members volunteering to put their hard-earned skills to work for the benefit of our country. Money is used to transport, house, feed and equip volunteers so they may work for the USA.
Would love to donate gently used clothes/shoes….from MI….anyone know of a place these could be sent and put to good use? TIA
Do you have a Matthews 25 Ministry?
Let me start by saying I have lived in south Florida my entire life and thank God have never experienced this type of storm here (28 years old). I donated to red cross at Walgreens today and after this post will jump on Amazon and send diapers. With that being said I can’t tell you how much hip2save has saved me dealwise, inspired me to give even more, and restored my faith in humanity in this country…I’m a super emotional person so of course I’m crying typing this. Thank you Collin and sidekicks for just being caring individuals who think beyond this business!!! Virtual hugs to my fellow hip2savers in Texas.
You’re welcome!
It’s so important to donate only necessities during these times. Toys, heavy winter clothing, etc actually cause more trouble. Please keep this in mind.
I live in Houston and am fortunate to have minor damage to my house. But many of my friends and neighbors are not so lucky. Yesterday they released water from two dams. The water from these dams has caused an unpresidented amount of flooding. With the constant news, helicopters, tv warnings and phone alerts we have had non stop reminders of all that is taking place around us. Today I think it has finally sunk in of all the suffering but yet I see hope of a future with all the people of our city helping each other. And then when I read people’s comments here who don’t even know the ones they will be helping it just beings me to tears. Thank you. Thank you for setting aside any political difference and just helping another human being that lost so much. Thank you
At this time, there are no blue states, no red states – just red, white, and blue! Stay strong and know that the rest of the country is praying for you.
Got 3 boxes diapers ready to go
Don’t forget they need adult diapers too.
Samaritans Purse run by Franklin Graham is taking $ donations. Just go to their website. This charity has been on the scene since day one!
Mercury one is another charity that is run by I Heart radio. They are providing meals . Several charities get their funds from Mercury One. I heard this on the radio today to log onto the IHeart radio website for details.
TBM provides a vast array of disaster relief services. They use trained volunteers to provide meals, showers, laundry facilities, teams that use chainsaws to clear downed trees, get mud-out of flooded homes, cover damaged roofs with blue tarps, etc.
Because the many volunteers provide the manpower, the funds go to provide the meals, tarps, cleaning supplies, shower units, etc. Volunteers teams from around the country come in shifts to work to keep things running. The shelters and first responders from various other organizations benefit from the meals, shower units and laundry units they provide.
https://texasbaptistmen.org/Ministries/Disaster-Relief/DR-News
Texas Monthly magazine is donating 100% of their proceeds to all subscriptions purchased in the next 24 hours (til Aug 31st at midnight, I believe). This can be either a new or renewal subscription. It’s $19.99.
Very neat because I was planning on subscribing since I’d read the article covering the wildfires in March. Amazing journalism and a poignant story!!!
It would be great if Hip2Save could update this post very day or two and maybe rotate a way to give,each time, on the face of the post? The AMAZON donation is a huge $$ matching amount but people may not open the post and read it since the front page has lines drawn thru because Google reached capacity. Thank you!
I don’t have much but I have been entering coke rewards all morning & still have a big bag to enter. So far I’ve only donated $11 but I have a lot more tops to enter each top is only $.05 but I Hope the little bit I do donate helps someone.
Thank you for sharing this! Just donated diapers, pull ups and wipes through the Amazon Smile wish list.
That’s awesome to hear! You’re most welcome!
Collin, will you please help us find some deals on socks, undershirts, panties, and hygiene items that we can send to Harvey families. If we can have Amazon or other companies ship directly to the shelters, that would be GREAT!
PS–If your hometown is sending officers to help in Harvey, many of the Houston-area officers need clean underwear and undershirts, because they have no way to wash theirs.
Hi there! Be sure to check these out:
https://hip2save.com/category/online-bargains/personal-care/
https://hip2save.com/2017/08/31/hanes-buy-1-get-1-free-tees-sweats-free-shipping-and-free-mens-shirt-w-any-purchase/
https://hip2save.com/save-money-with/amazon-deals-amazon-coupons/
Hope this helps!
I just love Hip2Save and all the great ideas everyone is always sharing. If anyone has any Huggies reward points they’re not planning to use, you can donate them and Huggies will then donate diapers to the National Diaper Bank Network.
https://www.huggies.com/en-us/rewards/redeem-points
I am not sure if you need to be logged in so just in case, I am including the text too.
Hurricane Harvey Relief
Babies in Texas need our help! Hurricane Harvey has displaced countless families and we are working hard with our partner, the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), to help bring diapers to those in need. For every 30 points you contribute, HUGGIES® Brand will donate one diaper to NDBN. For a simple donation of 240 Rewards Points, you can diaper a baby affected by Hurricane Harvey for an entire day.
1 Week of Diapers = 1,680 Points
1 Day of Diapers = 240 Points
1 Diaper = 30 Points
From someone who lives in the area Harvey hit hard (and is continuing to hit), I want to thank everyone for their encouraging words, prayers, and output of support. It means everything to us! I’m tying at work, where we have electricity but still no running water. Homes are destroyed, lives up-heaved, and pictures do not even do the damage justice. The National Guard and Cajun Navy have been amazing as well as all the PD and FD that have come from all over to help us. However the human spirit is strong and we will re-build. Again thank you from the bottom of our BIG OLE HUGE TEXAS HEART!!
Thanks for all the info on how to help those in need after the hurricane. I donated pull ups through Target since they were not available for purchase through the Amazon Smile Wish List
Hi, I have a group of children that would like to send holiday gift packages to children who lost everything in Harvey. Their packages have small toys, toiletries and art supplies for girls and boys age 2-14. Does anyone know of an orphanage of center for disadvantaged children that I may be able to get in touch with?
Thank you.