Over the past few months, we've been working with communities in Northeast Houston to help rebuild their lives after Hurricane Harvey devastated the city. As we near the end of our time here, we're having a final party to celebrate so many things - the recovery and progress they've made since the storm, and incredible way they've come together to do good. But there was one last thing this party needed, and it was very doable - Pupusas! Pupusas are a traditional Salvadorian dish of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with a savory filling. The ingredients weren't easily found after Harvey because of the need for a grill and limited access to food options. So this was really a treat! "Things like this remind me of El Salvador. This is how we celebrate there," said Juan, one of the community leaders who was instrumental in the recovery. The event came together beautifully. It was a holiday party, a celebration of success, and a goodbye send off for our ARC team in Houston. … [Read more...] about A Family Tradition

Yesterday, we left off mid-party during our celebration of the NE Houston community. We're bringing people together to celebrate a huge undertaking - rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey. Food? Taken care of yesterday. Pinatas and surprise gifts? That's for today! We partnered with All Hands and Hearts: Smart Response to purchase a gift for every child attending the party! Like a Trojan horse of joy, we packed each piñata full of plush stuffed animals for the children. For the adults, we had help from The Houston Rockets, the Christian Tabernacle Church, The Restoration Team, East Harris Community Empowerment Council, World Vision, and private donations. These generous partners helped provide everything from microwaves and blenders, to three refrigerators for the adult raffle at the party. A chance to get together, be thankful for one another, and celebrate overcoming Harvey as a community is incredibly important and powerful. “We are a big family that has grown bigger. … [Read more...] about A Smash Hit

Today we return to Houston to close out the final chapter of our relief work with the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Throughout our time in the city, we've met many people from northeast Houston who have banded together to get their community back on track. We've been through a lot together. So we wanted to celebrate all the wins, big and small, with this unstoppable team of individuals. Over the next three days, we'll be spending time in northeast Houston as we prepare for a celebration to match the incredible things they've done, together. The first idea is the food, of course. Every good party since the dawn of time has had great food at the center. Sharing a meal is an age old tradition of bringing people together, of telling stories, and of celebrating. For the Northeast Houston celebration, we wanted to make sure that the food was exactly what the community wanted - something that fit who they are and what they love. “What I found great about this project was that … [Read more...] about A Place at the Table

Fernanda is the Business Manager of a small health clinic called Casa el Buen Summaritano. The clinic is completely free, and serves a population of undocumented immigrants in the Southwest area of Houston. So many of her patients were affected by Hurricane Harvey. So Fernanda wanted to do something to help. “We got the idea to hold a Friendsgiving,” said Fernanda. “So we identified those new patients that we served after the storm and were most affected and invited them.” Fernanda wanted to put together a full “Thanksgiving Kit” for 50 families, turkey included. Lots of community partners came together to pitch in. But she was missing one vital – and some might argue, the most important – thing. The pies. We jumped in and purchased 50 pies for 50 families. And in the end, Fernanda and her crew of other partners were able to put together a complete meal that included the turkey, stuffing mix, a bag of potatoes, two cans of vegetables, dinner rolls, and of course, a pie. … [Read more...] about A Whole Lotta Pies

So many families were affected by the flooding in Houston, Texas, during Hurricane Harvey. And the devastation extended into schools, too. Over the Thanksgiving season, the needs of students and their families was felt even more deeply – many families don't have working ovens, stoves, or microwaves. But they still wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner. Juan Sorto is an amazing community leader in Northeast Houston – where the flooding was extensive. He’s been visiting kids in at Hilliard Elementary in Northeast for years. And he’s especially dedicated to bringing them joy in the post flood holiday season. So for Day 328, we wanted to help Juan and some Hilliard students have a lovely Thanksgiving meal – despite the challenges. First, we rented a car that could fit enough food for 66 students and 3 teachers for three separate classrooms! We then set about getting full meals that could be served without any preparation – roasted chickens, fresh bread, fruit, and some classic … [Read more...] about Something to Be Thankful For

Northeast Houston was an area particularly hard yet by Hurricane Harvey. Families there are struggling to get their lives back together. And teachers have an extra challenge – getting enough school supplies. Teachers around the country often supplement the necessary school supplies for their students each school year. And teachers at Hilliard and Shadybrook Elementary Schools are no different. But Ms. Parker, Ms. Quintana, and Ms. Polo were in a bind – after the flooding, they had to concentrate on their own homes and families, and their resources were running out. That’s why Juan – an amazing community advocate in Northeast Houston – had an idea to help these amazing teachers out. He wanted to be sure that they had everything they needed to start the school year off right. So we partnered up with Juan to purchase supplies for all three teachers, things like crayons, large pads of paper, and packs of colored paper. The supplies were small, but they go a long way to help … [Read more...] about Teach Your Children Well

When we last saw Juanita Gomez, her mobile home was waiting to be rebuilt after the destruction of Hurricane Harvey. So naturally, we wanted to check in with her and see how the rebuilding was coming along. We were relieved to see that her home had been mucked and gutted - but she was still looking to make her house really feel like a home. Juanita explained to one of our team members over the phone that she doesn’t feel like herself when she isn’t able to cook. For her, cooking meals for her family brings joy, meaning, and satisfaction. Not to mention she finds it very therapeutic, which is so important these days! During the flood, she lost all her cookware, leaving her unable to take part in her favorite activity - cooking. She was using a stick from her yard in the place of a wooden spoon. Now that Juanita’s house was livable, it was time to make it a home! So on Day 289, that’s just what we did. We presented Juanita with bowls, cups, cutting boards, pots, pans, … [Read more...] about Cookin’ Up Hope

Yesterday we helped the team at La Casa El Buen Samaratino in Southwest Houston update their gynecology equipment to be able to better serve more of their patients. Casa is the only free clinic in Houston that provides 100% free services for patients who are uninsured and low-income. One of the things they do at Casa is host diabetes awareness and education classes. Patients and members from the community pile into their conference to learn all about diabetes - what to watch for and how to manage it. But the projector they had was really old and sometimes refused to work when there was a roomful of people waiting. Casa's diabetes work is so important, we decided to get them a new projector and screen on Day 288 so that their educational programs could be even more effective. “We can watch a movie tonight!” joked Rosie, the clinic coordinator, while she opened the packages. The projector is primarily used for the diabetes class, but as the staff unpacked the new equipment … [Read more...] about Projecting Health

La Casa El Buen Samaratino is located in Southwest Houston. Casa is the only clinic in Houston that provides 100% free services to patients who are uninsured and low-income. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the clinic has been stretched thin with staff working many extra hours with outdated or few resources. The Casa team doesn't have all the equipment they need. For some equipment they have just a single item that must be sterilized between patients, a process that takes 24 hours. That means they can only do certain procedures once each day - even if they have multiple patients who need it. The team at Casa is working so hard, we wanted to do something that would help them in their work. So we decided to update their equipment and get them more of the supplies they need. And we decided to focus on women's health. Casa has gynecologists on staff, and they do a lot of screenings for cervical cancer. With their current equipment they can only do one biopsy per day for … [Read more...] about Good Samaritans

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the East Houston Civic Club (EHCC) is serving as a critical distribution center providing much needed relief to residents of Northeast Houston. The EHCC is the response of individuals coming together to support the community. Over 120 volunteers have helped out at EHCC since it opened just after the storm. Of those 120, there are about 40 volunteers that have gone way above and beyond, dedicated over 4 full days per week at the Civic Club (easily over 50-60 hours per week). Many of these volunteers have so felt compelled to volunteer that they’ve quit their jobs or taken a leave of absence. “It’s something that has to be done. You just pitch in whenever you can. You can’t just sit back and wait for someone to do it for you.”, said Maryland Whitaker, President of the EHCC. These volunteers give so much time, energy and passion in serving the NE community. It’s a pretty demanding job – day after day you’re on your feet, in the sweltering heat, … [Read more...] about A Token of Thanks