Help After Harvey

Feeding a Space City Recovery

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, on August 25, 2017, dropping as much as 50 inches of rain1 in some locations. The deluge of rain led to widespread flooding, displaced countless people, and left many stranded. First responders and even regular folks with boats2 worked around the clock to rescue about 13,000 people. Once they got to safety, tens of thousands of citizens and first responders were left needing food that hadn't been contaminated by floodwaters or left unrefrigerated for hours when the power went out.

Building a Network of Food & Foodservice

As you might expect, feeding all those people spread around a flooded city in multiple shelters is no easy task to coordinate, but that didn't slow down the service industry in Houston. Foodservice and hospitality workers created the Houston Service Industry for Harvey Relief Facebook group, where those who had time, money, space, or food to donate could work together to make meals for those who needed it. Restaurants like Reef that were unable to serve customers instead opened their commercial kitchen space to area chefs, who showed up with donated goods to cook huge amounts of food.

When the Facebook group was overrun with requests and offers, the "I Have Food I Need Food" website was created. The foodservice industry's digital equivalent of, "Have a penny, leave a penny; Need a penny, take a penny," the site allows those who need food to list the number, type, and recipients of meals, as well as when and where it is needed. Those who have food, either prepared or unprepared, can list their offerings on the site, and are then connected with people in need. The simple concept has been invaluable in coordinating food deliveries throughout the Houston area.

Some chefs didn't even wait for the hurricane to move on before beginning preparation: While trapped by the storm, a team of bakers at El Bolillo,3 a Mexican bakery famous for preparing the titular bolillo roll, got to work, using 4,200 pounds of flour over the two days of the storm to bake bread they handed out as soon as they could leave the store. Since then, more employees have joined the effort, making loaves that have been donated to nearby shelters, nursing homes, and churches.

Fundraising for the Future

While local chefs seem to have the short-term need for food handled, the damage caused by flooding will take years for Houston to fully recover4 from. Restaurants in the area and around the country have responded quickly by organizing fundraisers to help with the Houston area's long-term recovery.

Texas-based pizza chain Cane Rosso raffled off a year of pizza, sold a $1,000 bottle of ranch dressing,5 and held a fundraiser, resulting in a total donation of $40,000 to the Houston Food Bank. King's Biergarten in Houston suburb Pearland hosted a fundraiser on September 4, collecting needed items and donating 100 percent of proceeds from the event to those affected by the storm.

QSR Magazine maintained a running list of restaurants helping out,6 including Hooters, Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jersey Mike's, and Menchie's. Perry's Steakhouse also offered a three-course meal for $49.95, and donated $5 of each purchase to J.J. Watt's Harvey Relief Fund. The Houston Texans defensive end's effort netted more than $27 million, far outstripping its original $200,000 goal, thanks in part to a $5 million gift7 from the owner of the Texas-based H-E-B supermarket chain.

Resources

  1. A terrifying size comparison shows how much rain Hurricane Harvey has produced. Business Insider. Accessed December 2021.
  2. Texas Residents With Boats Work to Save Lives After Massive Flooding Caused by Harvey. KTLA. Accessed December 2021.
  3. Trapped by Hurricane Harvey, These Bakers Made Thousands of Loaves of Bread for Those in Need. Saveur. Accessed December 2021.
  4. Experts say it could take Houston years to fully recover from Harvey. The Guardian. Accessed December 2021.
  5. Cane Rosso's $1,000 Bottle Of Ranch Dressing Has Officially Been Sold. Eater Dallas. Accessed December 2021.
  6. Restaurants Step Up Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts. QSR Magazine. Accessed December 2021.
  7. J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser Surpasses $27 Million. Sports Illustrated. Accessed December 2021.