News Flash

Hurricane Harvey’s devastation is deeply affecting our friends and visitors from Texas, and they need our help!  Our communities have a unique tie with Texans - - many of them visit our area throughout the year, and others are part-time residents of our valley.  Victims are in need of immediate assistance like food, water, shelter and medical care.  They will also require long-term assistance, because recovery from the damage may take decades. 

The best way to help - - DONATE MONEY!  Financial donations can be easily be applied to the most pressing demands.  Please don’t send unsolicited goods such as clothing, household items and food because these types of donations require agencies to redirect resources away from providing services to package, transport, store and distributed items.

If you would like to help, please consider any of the below methods.  Remember that you can double your donation by selecting an organization that has pledged to match your funds!

Matching Donations: 

• Up to $1,000,000 from Amazon & Whole Foods - visit https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=16927356011&pf_rd_p=70b11567-a0d7-4385-809a-a3f7cbed408b&pf_rd_r=G1TSQHH3EE1NSPW6YTXC to donate.  Amazon & Whole Foods have jointly pledged to match $1,000,000 in cash donations made via Amazon.
• Up to $1,000,000 from Facebook – visit https://disasterphilanthropy.networkforgood.com/ to donate, or visit https://www.facebook.com/funds4disaster for more information.
• Up to $1,000,000 from Google – visit https://www.google.org/harvey-relief/ to donate.
• Up to $500,000 from Discover – visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/cm/discover-pub to donate to the American Red Cross. 
• UP to $200,000 from United Airlines – visit https://www.crowdrise.com/UAHarveyRelief to donate. 
• Up to $100,000 from Kroger (aka City Market) – share Kroger’s Facebook ad at https://www.facebook.com/Kroger/photos/a.375452038217.156386.60686173217/10155185002808218/?type=3&theater and Kroger will donate $5 for every share, up to $100,000.
• Up to $50,000 from Tito’s Handmade Vodka – visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/cm/titos-pub to donate. 
• Up to $50,000 from Ford Motor Company – visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/cm/ford-emp to donate.

Monetary Donations Specifically for Animals, Children and Families: 

• Austin Pets Alive – visit https://www.austinpetsalive.org/hurricane-harvey-evacuations/ to donate or learn more about Austin Pets Alive.  The organization, an animal shelter and no-kill pet advocacy group, is working with affected shelters to transport and shelter pets. 
• Houston Humane Society – visit http://www.houstonhumane.org/giving to donate.
• San Antonio Humane Society – visit https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/8e9e8bc2-4e49-42d7-a0c5-dba093f9042f to donate.  The SAHS is helping to shelter pet evacuees and affected strays.  Visit https://sahumane.org/ to learn more about the SAHS.
• Save the Children – visit https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9534757/k.CB79/Hurricane_Harvey_Relief_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp to donate.  Save the Children’s effort is focused on supporting vulnerable children and families. 
• SPCA of Texas – visit https://spca.org/give to donate. 
• Texas Diaper Bank – visit https://texasdiaperbank.networkforgood.com/projects/33717-change-a-life.  You will be given an option to donate to disaster relief.

General Monetary Donations:

• American Red Cross – call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey?campname=Harvey&campmedium=aspot to make a donation.  You can also text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
• Catholic Charities USA – visit https://app.mobilecause.com/public/peer_fundraisers/375237/peer_fundraiser_donations/new to donate.
• Coinstar (inside City Market) – visit the kiosk inside City Market and donate 100% of the funds from your cashed-in coins to benefit the American Red Cross (select “donate” from the menu, and then choose American Red Cross).
• Food Bank of Corpus Christi – visit http://www.foodbankcc.com/hurricane-harvey-relief/ to donate. 
• Global Giving – visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/hurricane-harvey-relief-fund/ to donate.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation – visit https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/hurricaneharveyhouston to make a donation.  The Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley is collecting the funding, and 100% of it will be relayed to the GHCF.  Learn more about GHCF at https://ghcf.org/.
• Houston Food Bank – visit https://secure3.convio.net/hfb/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app313b?df_id=8530&mfc_pref=T&8530.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=55D8161C2AA627221D2687CFBF549324 to donate, or visit http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/ for more information.
• National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) – visit https://www.nvoad.org/voad-members/national-members/ to make a donation.  NVOAD is a coalition of major voluntary organizations in the US that have prioritized disaster-related work.  To view the Texas VOAD organizations, visit https://txvoad.communityos.org/cms/node/104. 
• Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services – call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) to donate over the phone.  One-time and monthly monetary donations are also being accepted at https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=27651&mfc_pref=T&27651.donation=form1.   
• Southern Baptist Disaster Relief – visit https://missionaries.namb.net/projects/full/hurricane-harvey-response to donate.
• U.S. Bank - US Bank is collecting donations from customers at ATMs nationwide to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Visit https://locations.usbank.com/search.html to find the nearest ATM in your area. 
• United Way of Greater Houston – visit https://www.unitedwayhouston.org/flood/flood-donation to donate. 
• Wells Fargo - Wells Fargo is collecting donations from customers at ATMs nationwide to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Visit https://www.wellsfargo.com/locator/ to find the nearest ATM in your area.
• Western Union - Western Union customers can donate to American Red Cross as part of a "no transfer fee" program using the Western Union® Quick Collect® or Payments Service Form through participating Western Union® Agent locations across the U.S. Customers need to complete the blue form, using "American Red Cross" as the Pay To recipient; "REDCROSS DC" as the Code City, along with "American Red Cross" in the account field.

Blood Donations:

• South Texas Blood & Tissue Center – for those who may be in that area, blood donations are being accepted in the San Antonio-area donor rooms from 7 am to 7 pm.  For more information, visit https://southtexasblood.org/. 

Goods (please donate ONLY what is requested):

• Amazon Resellers - visit https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3S2C81IC67YC1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_yMZOzbR8ZWCF7/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_arcwl_1a1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=S9NRBS71M8MW74E2KEEA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=930647db-a956-40a9-be05-3eab5190750c&pf_rd_i=16927356011 to view the American Red Cross Wish List of items such as phone and electronics cables, surge protectors, first-aid kits, pillows, and portable cribs. 

Rewards Dollars/Points:

• American Airlines - American Airlines is running a promotion for members with miles to donate to the American Red Cross. From August 24, 2017 through September 24, 2017, with a minimum $25 donation, AAdvantage members can earn 10 miles for every dollar donated.
• American Red Cross – visit http://www.redcross.org/donations/ways-to-donate/donate-rewards-points to find out how Citibank, Discover, Choice Hotels, Club Carlson, Drury Gold Key Club, Marriott Rewards, Hilton Hhonors, and Starwood Preferred Guest can donate their earned rewards points.
• Discover – visit https://www.discover.com/credit-cards/cashback-bonus/redeem-cashback.html to donate Cashback Bonus dollars.
• United Airlines - United MileagePlus members can also donate to charitable partners to receive bonus miles.  Visit https://www.crowdrise.com/UAHarveyRelief for more info.

Employer Matches – if you are an employee or a retiree of any of the following companies/corporations, please verify the information shown with your company/corporation and donate then through it to maximize your donations:

• Apple – 2-to-1 ($2 for every $1 donated) match.
• AT&T – dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000.
• Bank of America – dollar-for-dollar match of $1 or more until 9/30/17.
• Chevron – dollar-for-dollar match.
• Cigna - dollar-for-dollar match.
• Coach - dollar-for-dollar match.
• Coca-Cola - dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000.
• CVS - dollar-for-dollar match up to $25,000.
• Dow Chemical - dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
• General Electric – dollar-for-dollar match.
• Google – dollar-for-dollar up to $250,000.
• JPMorgan Chase – dollar-for-dollar match.
• Kansas City Southern Railroad – dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.
• New York Life – dollar-for-dollar up to $150,000.
• NextEra Energy – dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
• PNC Foundation – dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
• Sealed Air – dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000.
• Sempra Energy – dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000.
• Southern Company – dollar-for-dollar match.
• Stanley Black & Decker – 2-to-1 match.
• Union Pacific – dollar-for-dollar match, and dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000 to its employee support network.
• UnitedHealth – 2-to-1 match.

CHECK THE CHARITY BEFORE YOU DONATE - If you're donating to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, make sure you know where your money is going. The Center for International Disaster Information recommends using sites such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, or the Better Business Bureau to make sure an organization is legitimate.

MISSING PERSONS – To check on a missing family member or friend in the impacted areas, contact the law enforcement agency serving the area in which the missing person lives.  Please be patient with law enforcement and other emergency services agencies in those areas, because they are operating on reduced staff and in constant rescue and life-saving mode.  Law enforcement may ask for the following types of information about the missing person:

• Phone numbers (cell, landline, work)
• Addresses (home and work)
• Last known location
• Last time of communication
• Places the missing person may have gone (friends, family, shelter, etc.)

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION - a printable PDF is available at http://gunnisoncounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/5503, and you can also share Gunnison County's Facebook post (@GunnisonCountyCO).  

Note: The above information was assembled by Gunnison County, Colorado. Since the County could not, given time constraints, independently verify the details provided for each of the donation points, people who choose to donate should verify the information with their selected donation point prior to making any donations.

Photo Credit:  Richard Carson, Reuters