How North Texans Can Help During Harvey

After reaching the Texas as a Category 4 hurricane late on Aug. 25, a weakened Harvey inundated cities and communities along the coast and further inland with catastrophic flooding.

North Texas weather wasn't affected much by the storm, but residents can help during the emergency period in several ways.  

This post was updated at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8.

Donations may be dropped off at 3000 W. Kingsley Road in Garland from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The facility is accepting clothing in good condition, toiletries and hygiene products and non-perishable food. Trusted World, a member of Dallas County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, had been accepting donations at 15660 Dallas Parkway, but that site has reached capacity.

The Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center is no longer accepting donations due to an "overwhelming response from the public."

For more information about efforts in Dallas, visit the city's dedicated Harvey relief site. 

All Goodwill locations in Fort Worth are currently accepting donations for Harvey relief. Locate a donation center. Specific items needed include: Baby diapers and formula, men's, women's and children's socks and underwear, blankets and towels and plus-size clothing.

For seniors

The Senior Source, located at 3910 Harry Hines Blvd. in Dallas, is accepting donations of items, specifically for seniors, including the following:

• Adult disposable briefs
• Disposable bed pads
• Ensure nutritional supplement drinks
• Toiletries and hygiene products, including denture supplies
• Non-perishable food
• New underwear, socks, warmups for men and women
• Walkers
• Reading glasses
• Men's and women's clothing; robes, house dresses and pajamas
• Closed-toe, non-skid shoes and socks for men and women
• Lap blankets and throw blankets

School supplies, books

Dallas ISD is accepting students who evacuated from areas affected by Harvey. The district needs school supplies, uniforms and backpacks.

Donations can be dropped off at Dallas ISD's Education Center, located at 9400 N. Central Expressway, every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 8, except Labor Day. More details here. 

You can donate new or gently used books to any Dallas Public Library location to be sent to the city's shelters for evacuees. 

To help Houston recover from unprecedented flooding, Mayor Sylvester Turner set up the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund — donate online.

In North Texas, Catholic Charities in Dallas and Fort Worth and Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas are taking donations (food, money and time). 

Here are more local foundations supporting Harvey relief:

• Communities Foundation of Texas
• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• Dallas Women's Foundation
• The Dallas Foundation

Or, you can give money American Red Cross:

• Text: ‘HARVEY’ to 90999 to make a $10 donation
• Call: 1-800-RED CROSS
• Go online: redcross.org

You can donate similarly to the Salvation Army:

• Text: 'STORM' to 51555
• Call: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
• Go online: helpsalvationarmy.org

Blood centers in the areas affected by Harvey will be unable to collect blood for several days.

In addition to the Red Cross, Carter BloodCare is calling on eligible donors to make appointments over the next few days to boost supply. 

Schedule your donation online, or by texting DONATE4LIFE to 444-999 or calling 877-571-1000. 

Those interested in helping relief efforts in North Texas can sign up to volunteer with the Mass Care Task Force, a collaborative effort from the American Red Cross of North Texas, the Salvation Army DFW, the North Texas Food Bank and VolunteerNow.

The task force is taking donations, too.

Also, the Red Cross needs volunteers elsewhere in Texas. 

The SPCA of Texas in Dallas took in more than 120 cats from a shelter in Corpus Christi on Aug. 25. The organization says it's able to accommodate hundreds of more animals evacuated from the Gulf Coast area.

Staff and volunteers are working at the Dallas convention center to care for pets coming with evacuees. You can donate money and supplies to support the SPCA's efforts. And, you can sign up to foster an animal.

The Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth also took in nearly two dozen animals on Aug. 25 from Corpus Christi and are ready for more. Here's information on donating money and supplies and adoption.

Airbnb has set up an urgent accommodations site, where people can open their homes to evacuees or find shelter themselves. Service fees are waived for those who check in by Sept. 25.

The City of Dallas consolidated all evacuees from smaller shelters to stay at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center.  The center's air-conditioned parking garage can house as many as 5,000 evacuees. Irving and Fort Worth have also opened shelters for storm evacuees.

Donations should not be taken to these shelters, but to Trusted World or Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center. Anyone traveling to Dallas-Fort Worth from the southern Texas coast needing information on shelters can call 211.

The North Texas Food Bank is working to meet food needs of the evacuees staying in area shelters, including the convention center in Dallas. Also, its social services team is helping evacuees apply for Disaster-SNAP benefits to receive food assistance. 

The food bank needs monetary donations rather than food donations at this time. Learn more about the food bank's relief efforts and how you can pitch in.

Community Food Bank in Fort Worth has been distributing free groceries to evacuees from South Texas. Here's how you could get involved.

Trying to salvage family treasures and other important items from floods? The University of Texas at Austin's School of Information offers these tips.

Disclosure: Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas Women's Foundation and the Dallas Foundation have all financially supported KERA.