Houston Rockets buy supplies for Hurricane Ike victims

The reminders are everywhere.

Nearly one week after Hurricane Ike tore through southeast Texas, its destructive presence still lingers like a loathsome black cloud extending a pall over the affected area. Everywhere you go there are fallen trees, broken homes and traffic lights rendered inoperative due to the massive power outage.

Of course, far more troubling is the toll this storm has taken on the area’s residents. More than one million Houstonians are still trying to cope without the benefit of electricity. Getting gas or groceries remains a cumbersome chore. Then there are those who lost absolutely everything to Ike. Amidst so much devastation and destruction, it’s easy to be overwhlemed by the bleak landscape before us right now.

Yet the city and its residents are already starting to regroup and rebuild. It’s a process that begins, as it always does, with the healing power of hope and hard work. So with that in mind, the Houston Rockets reached out today in an effort to provide plenty of both.

In conjunction with Feed the Children, Leslie Alexander and the Rockets organization purchased several semi trucks loaded with pre-packaged, non-perishable food and basic essential toiletries which were distributed to area residents Thusday at the University of Houston’s Robertson Stadium. Rockets’ players and staff took turns handing out the goods.

“We’re just trying to help and contribute as much as possible,” said Rockets’ forward Mike Harris. It was a very unfortunate situation and I think we can do a great job giving back to the community and trying to help those that lost a lot of things – things that you can’t make up for and things that they’ll never get back. So we’re just trying to help in any possible way that we can.

Full article on HoustonRockets.com

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Lowes to donate $1M towards Hurricane Ike relief

Lowe’s will donate $1 million to the American Red Cross in response to Hurricane Ike. The donation will help the American Red Cross in its efforts to assist people who have been affected by Ike and other hurricanes this season.

“Millions of families are suffering from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike throughout the Gulf Coast,” said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer of the American Red Cross. “Our core mission involves providing urgent relief and disaster support for those whose lives and homes have been abruptly thrown into chaos during this active hurricane season. Lowe’s generous donation of $1 million will help the American Red Cross provide shelter, food, and counseling for people in the affected communities. I want to thank Lowe’s for its support of the Red Cross mission.”

In addition to the $1 million contribution, all 1,575 Lowe’s stores nationwide will continue to serve as official cash donation sites to benefit the American Red Cross relief efforts for all the 2008 hurricanes. Lowe’s will match in-store contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to $250,000. Since partnering with the American Red Cross in 1999, Lowe’s has raised more than $17.5 million for disaster relief.

Lowe’s Command Center is working around the clock to obtain the essential products residents need to recover from the storm, and is expediting those products to stores as quickly as possible. Lowe’s team members throughout the impacted region and across the country are working to help customers when they return home, and help relieve affected Lowe’s employees so they may attend to their own homes and families.

Wal-Mart donates $2.5M to Hurricane Ike relief

Responding to the hurricanes that have swept through Louisiana and Texas, Wal-Mart announces today a $2.5 million commitment to assist with relief efforts. The retailer’s commitment - a combination of both cash and merchandise donations - will provide much needed support to those affected by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

In addition to continuing product donations, such as water, food, and hygiene products, the contributions announced today will support longtime Wal-Mart partners in the area of disaster response, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and Feeding America. The donation will also support the Texas Disaster Relief Fund and Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s efforts in Louisiana and Texas. Each organization will receive a portion of the commitment.

“At Wal-Mart, we work hard to provide support to the communities we serve when they need it most,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. “Given the magnitude and the devastation caused by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, it is important that we intensify our relief efforts and help those who have been affected.”

Wal-Mart is also committed to helping to ease the burden for its associates who are dealing with these unforeseen events. To date, the Wal-Mart Foundation has allocated more than $2 million in grants to associates who have sustained significant damage to their homes.

“We are very appreciative of Wal-Mart’s contribution to the American Red Cross, which will help us provide much needed relief to those in need during the 2008 hurricane season,” said Jeffrey Towers, Chief Development Officer of the American Red Cross. “It’s through the generous support of corporations such as Wal-Mart that we are able to assist all of our community members in the midst of natural disasters.”

“Wal-Mart’s contribution to The Salvation Army in this time of need is just another example of the generous support they have provided us throughout the years,” said Major George Hood, National Community Relations Secretary at The Salvation Army. “This donation furthers our ability to provide long-term care and comfort to the individuals and families who have lost so much following these hurricanes, something that is greatly appreciated.”

“We are thrilled to receive this generous donation from the Wal-Mart Foundation. Hurricane Ike has left thousands and thousands of people throughout Texas and Louisiana urgently in need of emergency food, bottled water and other groceries. Our food bank in Houston alone estimates that it will need to provide 500,000 pounds of food and grocery products every day for the next six weeks to meet the need,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “Meanwhile, Baton Rouge and other areas throughout Louisiana are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav. Wal-Mart has come forward with a much-needed financial gift to help make our work possible.”

In addition to support from the Wal-Mart Foundation, yesterday, Wal-Mart committed three tractor trailers and drivers to assist the state of Texas in delivering relief supplies in the affected areas. Wal-Mart’s Health and Wellness division is also assisting with the prescription needs of evacuees at 16 shelters in the Dallas Metroplex, including the Dallas Convention Center, and an additional shelter in Monroe, La.

Wal-Mart has long been recognized as a corporate leader in the area of disaster relief. The company, in 2005, helped the victims of Hurricane Katrina by donating more than $32 million in cash to aid emergency relief efforts, which included $2 million in contributions to the Red Cross. Last year, Wal-Mart provided more than $2 million in disaster relief funds to assist with recovery from floods and tornadoes as well as wildfires and winter storms nationwide. Long-standing partnerships with the Red Cross and The Salvation Army have made many of these efforts possible.

For additional information on Wal-Mart’s hurricane relief efforts, visit http://walmartstores.com/CommunityGiving/.

CSRwire