My family discusses what’s going on in the world nearly every night at the dinner table. For the last week or so, Hurricane Harvey came up at every meal. What can we do to help? At my sister’s elementary school, a family took a U-Haul truck to Texas, and they asked the whole school to help donate. My mom wanted my sisters and me to really think about what we wanted to donate. She had us each write down things we would have wanted to receive if something like Harvey had happened to us. I went through my whole room, picking out books, clothes, sunglasses; anything I could think of that a kid or teenager would want, that could bring them a little hope.
That night, my mom went to the store and bought backpacks, kid’s socks, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and fun non-perishable kid’s food. We all chipped in as a family and were able to make over fifteen “kid’s packs” filled with coloring books, crayons, and notebooks, plus food, water, and clothes. My sisters, my mom and dad, and I, we all worked together, putting together the backpacks and sending them off to be delivered. The people in Texas needed our help, but I think they helped us too.
Hurricane Harvey put things in perspective. That calc test you’ve been wracking your brain for, the injury you have had for months, a cold in the first week of fall; or your house being uprooted from the ground, your family being separated, and you, not knowing when you’ll get your life back. The world is crazy, no doubt about it, but we can handle crazy. The Red Cross, people driving to Texas with necessities, the messages on social media all prove that we can handle the crazy: together.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, DACA, nuclear war threats: It’s crazy. The world we live in right now is looking a lot more glass empty then full, I admit. But I refuse to give up, and I implore you to do the same. To donate to the Red Cross, click the link here https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey or call 1-800-HELP-NOW .
