Americans Helping Americans is honored to award February’s Helper of the Month Award to the generous and courageous hundreds of women and men of Houston, Texas, who have selflessly opened their homes, their businesses, and their pocketbooks, to help the tens of thousands that have been left stranded in their homes, without heat, during the gripping, and unexpected, storm of last week.
The heartwarming and inspiring stories coming from Houston are many. Stories like that of Jon Schmier, who lives in North Carolina but knew help was needed from anywhere, and Nina Richardson and Doug Condon, who opened their home to a stranded driver, or Raymond Garcia, who set about on his own to fix frozen, and broken water pipes.
North Carolina Restaurant Owner Spearheads Mission to Deliver Essential Items to Houston Church
“It’s time we step up,” said Hope Mills, North Carolina restaurant owner Jon Schmier who organized a mission to send two 26-foot U-Haul trucks filled with essential items including food, water, toiletries and even piping and plumbing supplies to a Houston-area church for distribution to people in need. (You read her story here – https://abc11.com/jon-schmier-rustic-burger-texas-winter-storm-manna-church/10365766/_
Couple Provides Delivery Driver a Place to Stay After Car Is Stuck in Snow
A delivery driver in Austin, Texas whose car got stuck in the snow in a stranger’s driveway is feeling blessed after Nina Richardson and Doug Condon invited her into their home to wait for a tow truck and ended up living with the couple for several days until the roads were safe enough for her to drive on. (You can read their story here – https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/4167/Couple-Hosts-Delivery-Driver-For-5-Days-After-Her-Car-Got-Stuck-In-The-Snow)
Houston Plumber Helps Families and Elderly with Free Repairs
Houston, Texas plumber Raymond Garcia had just lost his mother to COVID-19 but that did not prevent him from embarking on a mission to help other Houstonians who had broken pipes due to the winter storm in her honor as an act of love that she had instilled in him. (You can read his story here –
AHA’s hope in spotlighting everyday Hero’s will remind others in this great nation to step up, with courage, take action… and be somebody’s HERO! That is what AMERICANS HELPING AMERICANS is all about.
In honor of Jon, Nina, Doug, Raymond, and many more just like them, AHA is making a grant of $1,000 to Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund to support their efforts to help the city of Houston and Harris County’s most vulnerable during this critical time of need.
Indeed, Americans Help Americans, one person, one community, one at a time.
The Helper of the Month Award is designed to show the amazing, wonderful, hard-working, and dedicated people in American communities. We’ll be sharing these stories with you in the hopes that you’ll walk away as inspired as we are to do good things in your community!
