By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter
When Hurricane Harvey forced the cancellation of their weekend plans, a group of young farmers and ranchers in Anderson County didn’t take the opportunity to rest or catch up on work. Instead, they jumped into action and did everything they could to help those affected by the Category 4 hurricane.
“We sat outside of Brookshire’s in Palestine almost every afternoon for a week and collected donations,” Laura Downe, member of the Anderson County Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Committee, said. “We ended up getting a lot of donations. By the end of it, we were able to go and buy some more supplies with the money we had been given as a donation.”
The group took about two tons of feed, water, school supplies and other donations for Hurricane Harvey’s victims to a supply point in Orange.
“We left Palestine at 5:30 in the morning and got down there at 9:30 or so. We dropped off our supplies and said, ‘We’re here for the weekend. Put us to work,’” Downe said. “We helped load people’s trucks with whatever type of hay or feed they needed, and we helped unload stuff. There would be trucks coming in with flat beds full of square bales of hay and pallets of feed that needed to be unloaded.”
The five volunteers also pitched in to help clean up.
“We were able to connect with two different families that needed help cleaning out their houses. One, we helped clean out their garage and do what they call a ‘rip out.’ We took down all the sheet rock and insulation,” Downe said.
The group then moved on to the second home and helped with the rip out there.
“We were able to get our hands dirty and literally see firsthand what it was like for the people in their houses, how high the water had gotten and all the damage it had caused,” Downe said.
The work, although difficult, was more than a group of friends helping those in need.
Downe said it was a blessing.
“My prayer was that all of this would be a blessing to the people who really needed it, but I feel like I was the one who was blessed because the people were so grateful,” Downe said. “They had lost everything. Their houses were so messed up, but they were so appreciative. That kind of camaraderie between everyone was inspirational.”
Two weeks after the hurricane, cleanup is still underway not only in Houston and in Port Aransas, but all across the areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
Downe said help is still needed in many ways to assist the families and communities in their recovery efforts.
“There were a lot of people that gave when we were collecting donations. They would reach in their pocket and pull out just a couple of dollars and say, ‘It’s not much, but here you go.’ All of those $2 donations added up so quickly. We ended up with a large amount of money,” Downe said.
Every donation, even if it’s just an hour or time or two dollars, is put to use.
“I guarantee you, they can take all of the help they can get down there, whether you’re one person or a group of 10. Whether you can give $1 or a thousand, they can use whatever you have to give them,” Downe said.
The group hopes to make another trip to the affected areas later this month.
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) is accepting donations for farmers and ranchers affected by the hurricane.
Farmers and ranchers in the federal disaster area may apply for assistance here: https://texasfarmbureau.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/HurricaneHarveyReliefEfforts_Application.pdf.