TEXAS HURRICANE RELIEF
- CAN-DO
- Dec 10, 2025
- 2 min read
THE SITUATION:
Hurricane Harvey devastated Rose City, Texas, a community where 99% of homes were submerged. Months after the storm, many residents — including retirees and veterans — remained displaced and without financial assistance. Despite billions raised for disaster relief, the town received virtually no support from FEMA or major aid organizations. Families were still living in unsafe conditions and lacked the resources needed to rebuild.
WHAT WE DID:
Direct Assistance & Financial Relief
Distributed $107,049 in Lowe’s gift cards directly to residents.
Ensured 125 households each received an $860 gift card for rebuilding supplies, appliances, and home repairs.
Used a 100% pass-through model — every donated dollar went directly into residents’ hands.
Rapid Community Assessment & Activation
Identified Rose City as a neglected disaster zone 7 months after Harvey.
Found residents sleeping on tarps outside destroyed homes with no aid in place.
Documented the crisis through a viral video (500,000+ views), triggering national support.
Emergency Supply Distribution
Established a large-scale Community Revitalization Center (CRC) within 10 days.
Set up containers and tents to organize coast-to-coast donations.
Distributed food, water, cleaning supplies, toiletries, mold remediation materials, cots, tents, fans, and more.
Mobilized and coordinated local volunteers to ensure efficient distribution.
Strategic Partnership & Accountability
Worked directly with Rose City officials to identify all households needing rebuilding support.
Leveraged Lowe’s initial $10,000 contribution into 10x more funding through social media outreach.
Divided funds according to the number of homes rebuilding, ensuring fair and transparent allocation.
Advocacy & National Awareness
Publicly exposed the lack of FEMA support and the failure of major NGOs despite billions raised.
Raised national awareness of small-town neglect across southeast Texas.
Continued to advocate for residents being denied assistance months after the disaster.
Hands-On, No Red Tape Relief
Followed CAN-DO’s core principle: give everything away — no salaries, no travel costs, no overhead from donor funds.
Maintained full transparency: projects end with a zero balance after every dollar is accounted for.
Delivered fast, efficient, common-sense disaster relief where others stalled or failed.
TRUE TRANSPARENCY - IT REALLY IS THIS EASY.
CAN-DO raised $107,049 for our “Rose City" Hurricane Gift Card Challenge.” Ninety percent of the funds came from YOU thanks to social media. As promised, 100% of donations went directly to the people in need! No donations were used on admin, salaries or travel. We took the # of families rebuilding in Rose City (which was provided to us from City officials) and divided that number (125) by the amount raised. So each family received $860 in a Lowe’s gift card for rebuilding supplies and/or appliances. As you see in our bank statement, we used it all, the account for this challenge is now at ZERO.
NBC's TODAY SHOW HIGHLIGHTING CAN-DO'S WORK IN TEXAS
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