After Harvey: Giving Back To Restore Faith In Humanity
Alejandra Paz with her sister.
By: Alejandra Paz
On August 24, 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston affecting over 300,000 individuals, including my sister. Seeing footage trend on social media is totally different than witnessing the aftermath in person. It wasn’t until I arrived and saw first-hand the destruction of Hurricane Harvey that I understood why my sister had warned me not to travel with my son, Mars. Upon my arrival there was a sewer-like smell throughout the entire city and the streets were contaminated and filled with trash. When I arrived to my sister’s house it was evident her home had been flooded: the furniture had been thrown out, the car was totaled, and the walls of the first floor were all broken. Fortunately, my sister was able to shelter herself on the second floor of her home.
To be honest, my immediate reaction was to transfer her money, but I felt it wasn’t enough. I told myself, “I can do more!” My thought process was this: if I can afford a $5 cup of coffee at Starbucks, I can also help someone in Houston. My name is Alejandra and I'm a mother who travels. I often travel with or without my son and when I do travel I do so with a purpose because traveling and helping others are two of my many passions. My goal was to offer support to families impacted by Hurricane Harvey and these are the steps I took to accomplish it.
On August 24, 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit Houston affecting over 300,000 individuals, including my sister. Seeing footage trend on social media is totally different than witnessing the aftermath in person. It wasn’t until I arrived and saw first-hand the destruction of Hurricane Harvey that I understood why my sister had warned me not to travel with my son, Mars. Upon my arrival there was a sewer-like smell throughout the entire city and the streets were contaminated and filled with trash. When I arrived to my sister’s house it was evident her home had been flooded: the furniture had been thrown out, the car was totaled, and the walls of the first floor were all broken. Fortunately, my sister was able to shelter herself on the second floor of her home.
To be honest, my immediate reaction was to transfer her money, but I felt it wasn’t enough. I told myself, “I can do more!” My thought process was this: if I can afford a $5 cup of coffee at Starbucks, I can also help someone in Houston. My name is Alejandra and I'm a mother who travels. I often travel with or without my son and when I do travel I do so with a purpose because traveling and helping others are two of my many passions. My goal was to offer support to families impacted by Hurricane Harvey and these are the steps I took to accomplish it.
Alejandra's personal "To-do List."
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TO DO LIST
1. FIND A SITTER: I asked Terrence, Mars' father,“ would you mind if I traveled to Houston for a couple days to offer open arms to the families affected?” In a heartbeat, he said, “yes.” He fully supports my aspiration. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a strong support system! ✓ 2. FIND A FLIGHT: Thankfully I found a flight to Houston that came up to about $170 roundtrip, including a bag. Travel tip: buying one way tickets can sometimes be cheaper. I saved money by flying American Airlines from LAX-HOU and flew Spirit on the return flight; Spirit was not as bad as people repute them to be. ✓ 3. COLLECT DONATIONS: It’s usually recommended to donate to organizations or institutions that provide emergency relief. I didn’t want to just do that and carry on with my life. I wanted to be there personally. So, I reached out to family and friends on my social media platforms and informed them about my plan. They were all receptive to my idea and they all donated what they could. After a few days, I collected several hundred dollars. ✓ |
Furniture and material in front of house.
4. VIEW THE LANDSCAPE: My sister drove me around the neighborhoods to get glimpse of the devastation. Undoubtedly, families were left without food, a place to cook, and without hygienic items. I saw destroyed mattresses, damaged furniture, and abandoned homes. I actually peaked into one of the homes and saw furniture flipped over and clothes everywhere. As I looked into the home, I imagined a family scrambling to save as much of their home as possible during the floods. As a mother, I was most touched by the sight of a crib broken into pieces. Imagine the baby napping when the storm was getting stronger? How do you get the strength as a parent to convince your child everything will be okay? ✓
Some of the relief supplies gathered
5. SPREAD THE WORD: The night I arrived, my sister and I posted fliers around the neighborhood in Houston to let people know we would be handing out supplies. We did not know what to expect. We doubted ourselves. What if people do not show? What if all of them are still evacuated? We were wrong! ✓
Alejandra gathering supplies at Target.
6. DISTRIBUTE SUPPLIES: Despite the destruction, the people of Houston are resilient. Smiling, working, and living optimistically as if their livelihoods were not threatened by a natural disaster. Although we met many people, three people in particular stood out to me-- they each had hope in their eyes. We met a woman who was eight months pregnant and shared how extremely appreciative she was of what my sister and I were doing for the neighborhood. We also met a seventy-seven-year-old man whose apartment was destroyed. He told us that he had lived in Houston for seventy years and had not seen anything like it. I later passed by his apartment and he was sitting outside on a lawn chair. His apartment was open, empty, and destroyed. He did not leave because that was his home. ✓
Alejandra and local resident distributing supplies.
7. COUNT MY BLESSINGS: When I ran out of supplies, a father with a newborn came up to me and asked, “ Do you have any newborn diapers?” I said no. He thanked me and didn’t take any of the supplies we had left. That’s when I knew that he had approached us out of necessity while also thinking of others. I decided to give him money to buy his newborn what he needed. This man’s eyes lit up! He shook my hand to stay professional, but I could see he really wanted to give me a huge hug. This experience reminded me of how blessed I am; I have never worried about Mars’ diaper supply. ✓
Lessons from my upbringing:
You see, many people don't know this about me, but my thick skin and compassion were born and created in South Central Los Angeles. My single mother raised seven of us in a one-bedroom apartment. She worked two jobs and hardly had time for seven children, but she never gave up. Yet she managed to instill onto us invaluable lessons:
I am passionate about helping others because my mother raised me that way. She’s the kind of person that if she had two slices of bread and saw someone hungry, she would give them a slice. Even though I grew up in the ghetto with hardly any money to my name I felt richer than most. I was always reminded that someone else had less than I did. Today, I'm not wealthy-- I am just willing: willing to take a few hundred dollars from my bank account to help those who lost EVERYTHING--their homes, their families, and all hope-- because of something they could not control.
We can ONLY make it by sticking together. The fact is that there are so many organizations out there who are wonderful, but also some who keep most donations and fail to provide relief for all. For example, while I was in Houston I did not see ANY organizations helping the poor neighborhoods; trash was out, people were simply put SURVIVING, and homes were absolutely destroyed.
This experience made me appreciate that I come home to my family everyday. That I come home to a smile- everyday. Also, that my house is intact, my family is healthy, and that I am surrounded by love. If this is you, then you are more blessed than all the people who lost what they had in Houston. How can you be active in your community? Surround yourself with people who support your passions and you can change the world. I could not do it without Terrence who is always telling me to use my wings to fly and he will care for Mars without hesitation.
In South Central Los Angeles, we can only build each other up by sticking together. You see a child who’s struggling in your neighborhood? Lend a hand. See an older lady needing help with groceries? Offer your help. BE PRESENT. It makes more of a difference than you think.
I’ll leave you with a quote I enjoy when you believe that your two hands and single soul cannot change a thing: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” - Mother Teresa.
If you have questions, suggestions, comments, or just want to talk, I’m available on Instagram and Twitter: @madrequeviaja
You see, many people don't know this about me, but my thick skin and compassion were born and created in South Central Los Angeles. My single mother raised seven of us in a one-bedroom apartment. She worked two jobs and hardly had time for seven children, but she never gave up. Yet she managed to instill onto us invaluable lessons:
- Never eat unless your siblings are eating.
- We all clean a part of the home.
- We all look out for each other.
- Protect each other.
I am passionate about helping others because my mother raised me that way. She’s the kind of person that if she had two slices of bread and saw someone hungry, she would give them a slice. Even though I grew up in the ghetto with hardly any money to my name I felt richer than most. I was always reminded that someone else had less than I did. Today, I'm not wealthy-- I am just willing: willing to take a few hundred dollars from my bank account to help those who lost EVERYTHING--their homes, their families, and all hope-- because of something they could not control.
We can ONLY make it by sticking together. The fact is that there are so many organizations out there who are wonderful, but also some who keep most donations and fail to provide relief for all. For example, while I was in Houston I did not see ANY organizations helping the poor neighborhoods; trash was out, people were simply put SURVIVING, and homes were absolutely destroyed.
This experience made me appreciate that I come home to my family everyday. That I come home to a smile- everyday. Also, that my house is intact, my family is healthy, and that I am surrounded by love. If this is you, then you are more blessed than all the people who lost what they had in Houston. How can you be active in your community? Surround yourself with people who support your passions and you can change the world. I could not do it without Terrence who is always telling me to use my wings to fly and he will care for Mars without hesitation.
In South Central Los Angeles, we can only build each other up by sticking together. You see a child who’s struggling in your neighborhood? Lend a hand. See an older lady needing help with groceries? Offer your help. BE PRESENT. It makes more of a difference than you think.
I’ll leave you with a quote I enjoy when you believe that your two hands and single soul cannot change a thing: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” - Mother Teresa.
If you have questions, suggestions, comments, or just want to talk, I’m available on Instagram and Twitter: @madrequeviaja