We know one thing about Champaign-Urbana: it has a HUGE heart. Champaign-Urbana is one of the most giving communities out there. Since Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast and the Houston metro last week, Champaign-Urbana has been searching for the right way to help Hurricane Harvey victims. The flooding and water damage is incomprehensible.
This article includes a list of the Champaign-Urbana fundraisers we’re aware of, as well as ways you can help as our fellow Americans face one of the most devastating natural disasters in our nation’s history. We will continue to add to this list as we are notified of local opportunities. If your organization is working on efforts in the Champaign-Urbana area to provide relief for Hurricane Harvey victims, please let us know (email editor@chambanamoms.com or comment below) and we will add to this list often in the coming weeks.
Some of these ideas may empower your family to feel a little less helpless, too.
Raise Money.
Currently, the best currency to help Harvey victims is MONEY. Collecting new and/or used items to send or be delivered to the areas impacted is a lovely idea, however it’s impractical at this point in time. Organizations don’t have the facilities or volunteers available to handle such donations.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: Collect your children’s gently used clothing and toys and have an impromptu garage sale. Get the kids involved! Or use some of the online mechanisms to sell your stuff in Champaign-Urbana. Like to bake? Have a bake sale, or maybe just sell lemonade. Send the proceeds to one of the many area charities in need (see below). No amount is TOO SMALL.
Donate Blood.
Why? Because local blood supplies are being sent to Texas and the Houston metro, where blood is needed and the ability to collect donations has been severely compromised. That means that local blood supplies are low. For more information on donating blood in Urbana, visit this page about Community Blood Services of Illinois. (Here’s an old article from our site about donating blood with kids in tow. It can be done! Potential donors must be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be at least 17 years old. Potential donors may be 16 years old and donate, but must present a signed parental consent form.)
Adopt a pet.
If you’re thinking about adopting a dog or a cat, this could be a good time. Animal welfare organizations in Texas and around the country are likely to take in pets that have lost their owners; adopting animals here (indirectly) will help open spots for other dogs who need shelter. H.A.R.T. (Hoopeston Animal Rescue Team) will be headed to Texas soon and plans to bring homeless dogs and cats back to the Hoopeston area. They posted on Facebook that they will be collecting pet supplies and donations in Champaign and Danville, but details are not settled yet. For more information, visit the H.A.R.T. (Hoopeston Animal Rescue Team) Facebook page.
Local fundraisers:
WCIA Channel 3, Thursday, August 31: Hosting a Hurricane Harvey relief fund drive this Thursday in our back parking lot at 509 S. Neil Street in Champaign. From 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Benefits the American Red Cross. Cash donations will be accepted.
If you want to donate online directly to local Houston relief and social service organizations, these have been posted by the New York Times:
The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund of Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, which is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi are asking for donations.
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is reporting a critical shortage, and has extended hours at all of its San Antonio-area donor rooms. To donate, call 210-731-5590 or visit their website for more information.
Carter BloodCare covers hospitals in North, Central and East Texas. To donate, call 877-571-1000 or text DONATE4LIFE to 444-999.
To help animals suffering from the disaster, visit the Houston Humane Society or the San Antonio Humane Society. The Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has set up an animal emergency response hotline (713-861-3010) and is accepting donations on its website.
The Texas Diaper Bank in San Antonio is asking for diapers and wipes, which can be dropped off in person or mailed to 5415 Bandera Road, Suite 504, San Antonio, Tex., 78238.
The United Way of Greater Houston flood relief fund will be used to help with immediate needs as well as long-term services like minor home repair. Visit their website to donate or text UWFLOOD to 41444.
The L.G.B.T.Q. Disaster Relief Fund will be used to help people “rebuild their lives through counseling, case management, direct assistance with shelf stable food, furniture, housing and more.” It is managed by The Montrose Center, Houston’s longtime community center for the area’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.
For more options, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends checking with the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster for a list of trusted disaster-relief organizations in Texas.
National organizations
The American Red Cross is accepting donations on its website. You can also text HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.
AmeriCares takes medicine and supplies to survivors.
Catholic Charities provides food, clothing, shelter and support services to those from all religious backgrounds.
Donations to the Salvation Army can be made online, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or texting STORM to 51555.
AABB, which coordinates a task force to manage blood collection efforts during disasters, put out a call on Sunday for blood donations in the aftermath of Harvey. Most in demand: those with type O-positive blood.
Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church is working through Episcopal Relief and Development, which works directly with established, small, locally led programs who are responsible at the nighborhood level. ERD accepts donations online, or you can make a check to Emmanuel Church with HARVEY in the memo line.