Hurricane Harvey was a category 4 hurricane that hit the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25th, 2017. Once it made landfall, it moved along Texas from August 26th-30th, leaving catastrophic flooding throughout Southeastern Texas. The storm killed at least 70 people, and caused millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and other property.
Many charities and organizations have teamed up to help those who have lost everything in the wake of the hurricane. Bethany put on a relief drive this past week. Food, baby supplies, and cleaning supplies were gathered in the school lobby for those who are in need in Texas. Those items were then taken to Ivy Tech, who had teamed with Lochmandy motors to get those items sent directly to Texas, where they were needed the most.
When asked what practical ways Christians can help with disaster in our community, Hank Willems, our school’s principal, said, “I think that as Christians we are called to help our neighbor whenever the need is there. Sometimes that means money, sometimes supplies or sometimes our time and energy. I also think it is important to not wait for big disasters, but to look for ways to help within our community on a daily basis. We have a lot of need right here in our area that happens without many stepping forward to help. People are generally good and this is an example of good and generous people stepping forward.”
The Bethany community helped immensely through the hurricane relief drive these past couple of weeks, bringing in over 1,000 items to aid those in Texas. This drive was a good way for us to come together to help another community. Even though the disaster wasn’t close to home, it’s still imperative that we seek out ways to help.