Hurricane Harvey has caused enormous damage to the Texas coast, and it’s not done yet. While Houston begins to watch the floodwaters recede, there are still millions of people stuck in shelters in need of food and aid. And the restaurant industry, from local food scenes to major fast food companies, are stepping up to help.
– Houston’s local food scene has banded together to cook hot meals and get food to hurricane victims and rescue personnel, organizing with a public Facebook group to get food and chefs where it most needs to be.
– Austin’s food scene, at the very edge of the hurricane’s reach, has come out in support of Houston in a big way, with major fundraisers, donations, and food drives. Austin360 has a list of businesses and what they’re doing so Austinites can pitch in to help.
– Dallas’ food scene is pitching in as well, and the Dallas Observer has a rolling master list of restaurants raising money and donating food to Harvey survivors.
– Hopdoddy Burger Bar will be donating all sales from its Goodnight/Good Cause burger to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.
– Whataburger, the beloved local burger chain, has already kicked in $1.65 million. $1 million of that is going to employees affected by the flood, who will get financial assistance and other help to get back on their feet. Another $500,000 is headed to food banks along the Texas coast to ensure that pantries will be stocked as people begin to return and assess the damage, and $150,000 is headed to the Red Cross for general relief efforts.
– On a more local level, Pizza Hut workers are gathering every boat they can find and filling them with pizza, which they’re handing out to people in need.
– And, in what’s certainly the oddest story, the viral photo of a woman being rescued from her home in a jet-ski? That’s courtesy of a delivery order she sent to her local Chik-Fil-A.
