Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sylvia Garcia are helping with food distribution at the Houston Food Bank on Saturday. Elizabeth Conley / Pool / AFP via Getty Images Hide caption
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Elizabeth Conley / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
Representatives Sheila Jackson Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sylvia Garcia are helping with food distribution at the Houston Food Bank on Saturday.
Elizabeth Conley / Pool / AFP via Getty Images
A fundraiser by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to support storm-whipped Texans raised more than $ 4 million in just a few days.
On Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez was in Texas to celebrate the success of the fundraiser, which will go to local organizations providing Texas food aid, homelessness and elderly care. She was joined by Democratic Representatives from Texas, Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee, who all helped fill boxes at the Houston Food Bank.
“When a disaster strikes, it’s not just a problem for Texans, it’s a problem for our entire country,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. “And all of our country has to come and join together behind the needs of Texans across this state.”
She added, “This is the New York spirit, this is the Texas spirit, and this is the American spirit.”
Winter storms across Texas left dozens dead, millions turned off for days, and many still lack clean drinking water.
Garcia said the donation idea was spurred on by Ocasio-Cortez, who sent her a text saying she wanted to help. “You know we’re from Texas, right?” Garcia told reporters. “Who does things to New York? We always make fun of New York. But this time we love New York.”
Ocasio-Cortez announced the fundraiser on Thursday afternoon on Twitter. Within two hours, the effort had raised $ 325,000 in donations. As of Friday morning, the total was up to $ 2 million. According to Ocasio-Cortez, $ 4 million on Saturday afternoon.
As Houston Public Media reports, the money will go to several organizations including the Houston Food Bank, Family Eldercare, Feeding Texas and the Bridge Homeless Recovery Center. The charity itself, while helpful, does not replace the need for guidelines to prevent power grids from failing in the future, Ocasio-Cortez said.
“We need to make sure that we make short and long-term political decisions so that this devastation – preventable devastation – never happens again,” she said.
A number of factors contributed to the massive power outages in Texas, which relies on its own power grid.
