A Total of $30.15 Million to be Awarded to Four Charities to Help Texas Gulf Coast
Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief charity, is excited to announce that is has been selected by the Justin J. Watt Foundation as one of four charities to receive funding from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. J.J. Watt, an NFL player for the Houston Texans, launched the fund after Hurricane Harvey made landfall and caused devastation in Houston and the surrounding areas. A total of $37 million was raised in three weeks.
Four strategic partners – Feeding America, Americares, Save the Children and SBP – will receive a portion of $30.15 million in funds, to be deployed over the course of the next 18-24 months. These funds will be used to provide food, address health needs, restore child-care centers and rebuild homes for people most affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston and the surrounding areas. The remaining $7 million will be set aside for distribution in 2018 after further assessment of the evolving relief efforts.
“As families begin to rebuild their homes and their lives, they should not have to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said Diana Aviv, CEO for Feeding America. “Feeding America is grateful for this profoundly important gift that will enable the four food banks in the affected region to bring much-needed food and nourishment to the people of Houston and the surrounding area.”
Feeding America has been engaged in disaster relief efforts even before the first hurricane made landfall in late August. With a network of 200 food banks, Feeding America has mobilized its food banks to stage disaster relief boxes near areas affected, send staff and volunteers to support food banks in disaster areas, and raised food and fund donations for the most impacted food banks.
Feeding America network members, the Houston Food Bank, Coastal Bend Food Bank (Corpus Christi), Food Bank of the Golden Crescent (Victoria) and Southeast Texas Food Bank (Beaumont) will be the direct beneficiaries of this gift. The funds will support food distribution, mobile pantries, and agency capacity building.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.