Astros Foundation, Astros players, Crane Worldwide support Houston in winter storm recovery
HOUSTON, TX - With the Houston-area in need following the aftermath of the winter storm this past week, the Astros Foundation, Astros players, and Crane Worldwide quickly mobilized to help aid the people of Houston.
Below is a recap of the efforts by this group, along with information on how to help continue the ongoing recovery process in the City of Houston.
WATER DISTRIBUTION
With the City of Houston and its surrounding communities under a boil water notice, or without water entirely, for the majority of this last week, there became a critical need for safe drinking water.
Crane Worldwide and the Astros Foundation stepped up immediately and provided over 42,000 pounds of water to three locations at Texas Children’s Hospitals to ensure healthcare workers could maintain critical care for those most in need. Crane Worldwide and the Astros Foundation will continue to supply water to Texas Children’s Hospitals this week, providing another 40,000 pounds of water.
Astros All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman and his wife, Reagan, partnered with the Astros Foundation and Brothers Produce to create a water distribution event at the Astros Youth Academy on Saturday, in which 18,000 cases of water were distributed to Houstonians in need. The Bregmans then recruited the help of Michael and Melissa Brantley, Ryan and Kat Pressly, and Joe Smith and Allie LaForce to support a second water distribution event on Sunday at Butler Stadium, in which 8,400 cases of bottled water and 9,000 gallon containers of water were distributed to the public. The Butler Stadium distribution event was also created in partnership with the Astros Foundation, Brothers Produce, and Houston Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
“It was clear that access to safe, clean drinking water was one of the biggest issues affecting virtually every person in Harris County in the aftermath of the winter storm,” stated Astros Owner and Chairman, Jim Crane. “Our hospitals had a critical need, and we are grateful to Mark Wallace and the Texas Children’s Hospital for what they are doing to care for these kids. I also want to acknowledge Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City of Houston for their partnership and support in serving Houston by setting up distribution sites. I’m proud of the way that the Astros Foundation, Crane Worldwide, and our players stepped up to help provide some relief to the many struggling individuals and families in our city. We look forward to continuing to serve Houston and our community.”
“I sincerely thank Jim and Whitney Crane, the Astros Foundation, and the Astros players,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Time and time again, the Astros are the first to step up when this community is in need. This past week, they responded swiftly and provided not only resources, including water and food, but also the special group of volunteers to help ensure Houstonians could get the help they needed. We appreciate their long-standing commitment to our community.”
“Texas Children’s Hospital is deeply appreciative of the generosity and support from Jim Crane, Crane Worldwide, and the Astros Foundation in the wake of the historic winter weather which greatly impacted our entire community,” said Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO of Texas Children’s. “It was indeed a challenging week across the Houston area and our state, but time and again, our community rises to the occasion and demonstrates the immense resiliency and Texas spirit we have. It is wonderful to have outstanding partners like Jim Crane and organizations, like the Astros Foundation, providing unwavering support to all those in need.”
PROVIDING MEALS
As Houstonians continued to struggle in the midst of the catastrophic winter storm that hit Texas, Jose and Nina Altuve pledged $25,000 to support food insecure children. Carlos and Daniella Correa matched that donation through their Correa Family Foundation. In collaboration with Kids’ Meals Inc. and NACC Disaster Services, the $50,000 pledge will help deliver meals to over 25,000 families in need.
The Correa Family Foundation has continued fundraising efforts to support families who lost their homes with upcoming recovery efforts, in collaboration with the Astros Foundation, NACC Disaster Services and Kids’ Meals Inc. As of today, over $60,000 has been raised for this campaign.
Jose and Nina Altuve initiated another collaboration with Kids’ Meals Inc., this time with the Astros Foundation. This joint effort will provide meals for more than 20,000 children in need.
Aledmys and Dayara Díaz teamed up with Yordan and Monica Alvarez and the Astros Foundation to deliver 16,000 chef prepared meals to families in need as part of a collaboration with Second Servings of Houston.
The Astros Foundation Volunteer Corps. presented by Gallagher will assist Kids’ Meals Inc. and Second Servings of Houston with food distribution for these initiatives on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
MCCULLERS FAMILY STEPS UP
Lance McCullers Jr. and his wife, Kara, stepped up to once again help the community of Houston, a city they have called home since Lance’s arrival to the Major Leagues in 2015. With access to clean drinking water extremely limited, the Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation pledged $50,000 towards bottles of water in a partnership with the Houston Food Bank. Their donation provided an initial allotment of 400,000 bottles of water. Over the coming days and weeks, the foundation has a goal of providing over 1 million bottles of fresh water to the Houston community, in which Lance and Kara will provide up to $100,000 in additional funding as part of a donation match program.
The Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation also announced that they are partnering with several organizations that need critical help in getting fresh water, food, and veterinary services to animals in need through Rollin’ Vets, Rescued Pets Movement, Houston PetSet, PetCo Foundation, and other organizations.
HOW TO DONATE
To support the Astros Foundation’s ongoing Covid-19 and storm recovery efforts, visit https://www.mlb.com/astros/community/donations
To learn more about Alex Bregman’s charitable efforts, or to donate, visit: BregmanCares.org.
To donate to The Correa Family Foundation’s winter storm recovery fundraiser, click here: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTA4OTI1
To support the efforts of Lance, Kara, and the Lance McCullers Jr. Foundation, visit https://e.givesmart.com/events/kLW/
FOOD DISTRIBUTION
The Astros Foundation, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, will resume weekly food distributions this week at the Astros Youth Academy (2801 S. Victory Drive, Houston, TX 77088). This effort started in August of 2020 and will continue through March of 2021.
To volunteer for these events, or any other Astros Foundation event, visit: mlb.com/astros/community/foundation/volunteer.