In the days following landfall of Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas, helpful Hoosiers got to work sending teams of volunteers, trucks of supplies and monetary aid to support recovery efforts. But Houstonians are looking at a long recovery, and Hoosiers are prepared to press on. Read on for information about some of the local efforts underway and learn how to get involved.
Hoosiers Helping Houston
This citywide endeavor was created by a partnership of the Indiana Red Cross, FedEx, Kroger and United Media of Indianapolis to collect bottled water, packaged snacks, juice, baby wipes and diapers to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Through Sept. 9, donations can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at the following locations:
- Kroger Marketplace — 5350 E. Thompson Road, Indianapolis, IN 46237
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Kroger — 9799 E. 116th St., Fishers, IN 46037
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Kroger — 5718 Crawfordsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46224
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Radio-One — 21 E. St. Joseph St., Indianapolis, IN 46204
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All Indianapolis Fire Department stations (Only on Sept. 7–8 from 8 a.m.–5 p.m.)
Children’s Museum
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has partnered with the Children’s Museum of Houston and Houston Independent School District to collect school supplies and students uniforms for school children impacted by Harvey. Through Sept. 10, donations can be dropped off at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St. in the Welcome Center. The museum will not be accepting cash donations but asks for the following:
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Uniform clothing for grades pre-K–5: light blue, white and navy collared shirts and khaki and navy pants or skirts
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Wide-ruled 70 page spiral notebooks, 1-inch binders
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Three-prong colored folders with pockets
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Standard-size backpacks
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No. 2 pencils, Crayola crayons, highlighters
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Pink erasers, scissors, Elmer’s Glue or glue sticks
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Hand sanitizer
IndyHumane
For Hoosiers concerned about rescuing and reuniting displaced pets with their families in Houston, IndyHumane has asked that monetary donations be made to Austin Pets Alive (austinpetsalive.org), which they said is a trustworthy organization that has taken a leadership role in helping animal victims. IndyHumane said donations of pet supplies such as crates and food might be needed in the future, but storage and distribution is not yet possible in the affected areas.
Midwest Food Bank
Midwest Food Bank (MFB) assembles and sends Disaster Relief Boxes, which contain enough shelf-stable food to feed a family of four for four to five days. In addition to sending more Disaster Relief Boxes, MFB will send hygiene kits and cleanup supplies. MFB has asked for volunteers and monetary contributions (indianapolis.midwestfoodbank.org) and donations (brought to 6450 S. Belmont St.) of the following:
- Hygiene kits: A 1-gallon Ziploc bag with soap (bar or body wash), shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, deodorant, comb or brush, nail clippers and a wash cloth.
- Canned soup, vegetables, fruit, pasta and tuna; peanut butter; breakfast cereal; boxed or bagged pasta; pasta sauce (no glass jars)
- Toilet paper, paper towels
- Cleaning supplies including pressure washers, generators, water pumps, mops and buckets, gloves, shovels and much more. For a full list of requested cleaning products, visit indianapolis.midwestfoodbank.org.
