Houston rallies for Florence victims
Volunteers lead donation effort at convention center
The donations trickled in slowly early Saturday afternoon at the George R. Brown Convention Center, but Bill Baldwin was unfazed. It was just the beginning.
At the request of Mayor Sylvester Turner, Baldwin and a group of volunteers are spearheading an effort this weekend to collect donations to send to Columbia, S.C., for victims of Hurricane Florence. Turner had planned before the storm to travel there this week for a meeting with the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Baldwin had volunteered last year at the center, which had been a hub for Hurricane Harvey relief. He had helped create the Houston Relief Hub, which organized donations and volunteers during Harvey, rallied donations for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and now is leading the Florence donation drive.
“It’s emotional because you have the reminder of a year ago,” said Baldwin, a realtor and planning commission member. “But truly, to recover, you have to be able to help someone else.”
The group expects to receive donations between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m. Sunday. If interested, drive down Chartres Street and look for the loading ramp sign.
It was 1 p.m. Saturday as Baldwin, wearing a Houston Strong T-shirt, stood on the loading dock at the convention center. It had rained that morning, and the sky was gray. Baldwin was reminded of the outpouring of support Houstonians had seen after Harvey. Now, those in South Carolina had the same needs.
‘It’s our turn’
Over the next hour, a handful of people arrived. One woman, with bags of supplies and buckets, there to do a blog post. Another, with dog food, there to volunteer. A third, Kelly Dao, brought cases of water. “My house got flooded,” she said. She wanted to give back.
The relief hub had asked for nonperishable food, cleaning items or, as Baldwin put it, “whatever is in their hearts.” He was encouraged by the stories of those who came to donate — some grew up in the Carolinas, others were affected by Harvey.
Among the mounting collection of donations, there were two bags of Purina One cat food. Two boxes of peanut butter chocolate chip Chewy bars. One box of butternut squash soup.
Turner arrived and surveyed supplies, posed for photos and shook hands. Turner said Hurricane Harvey, and the help he received at the time from other cities, still felt fresh. For him, the outside support was a reminder that Houston wasn’t standing alone.
“Now it’s our turn,” he said.
Paying it forward
Turner met volunteers such as Robert Swanson, 54, who had moved down three floors after he said his 7th-floor apartment roof gave way during Harvey and soaked his belongings. He was still trying to recover, and fighting an eviction, but wanted to be there to help someone else.
“I know what it’s like,” he told Turner of enduring a hurricane.
“You’re paying it forward,” Turner replied.