The media coverage of Harvey might have died down in light of all of the other disasters that are happening in the world but there are still people struggling to get back on their feet. In the days after Harvey left Houston was receiving aid from various organizations, but it was impossible to reach everyone. I felt overwhelmed by how many people still needed help that wasn't getting it. I donated but still felt like I wasn't doing enough. Eventually, as I ventured down a rabbit hole of organizations to get involved on Facebook led me to the Adopt-A-Family group, a group that pairs people with families in need. This was it, a way for me not to feel so overwhelmed in trying to help everyone when I could focus my efforts to make a difference in one family.
The family I adopted was a single mother with 2 kids, who lost basically everything. She wasn't able to work that week, which meant her paycheck would be short, and when she was able to go back she had no vehicle to get there. She applied for as much government help as she possibly could, but until this day she still hasn't gotten any. Her biggest concern right now is providing food for her family, and she has experienced 2 more power outages since they initially turned the power back on after Harvey.
Thankfully we were blessed enough to have other family members, and companies interested in getting involved and within 2 weeks we had more donations than we could possibly have room in our car to take. I reached out to Mazda, a brand I know already is dedicated to giving back and I love, to see if they would loan us a car to travel about an hour away from where we live to deliver the donations to where our adopted family lives. To my surprise they did, so we piled the donations on an ventured to our adopted family's house.
Mazda sent their 2017 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring, which was perfect for our little family to travel in plus all of the donations to fit in the back. There are still so many people in need, and several more ways to help. If you're interested in adopting a family you can join this group on Facebook, or donate to help the people of Houston you can find a list of organizations here. You can also learn about how Mazda gives back in their Mazda Drive For Good program!
