It’s been 17 months since Hurricane Harvey roared ashore along the Texas coast, and a number of agencies and charities are still trying to help families recover. Rockport Hands of Hope is one of them.
“We’re not going to stop with relief,” Rockport First Baptist Church Missions Pastor Jordan Mims said, “We want to get these people back in their homes.”
Rockport’s First Baptist Church is where Hands of Hope began, but it became an officially recognized non-profit organization after it took on the volunteer resource center roll following Harvey’s landfall. That designation makes Hands of Hope eligible for grants like the $1.4 million it received from the Red Cross.
“I wouldn’t trade it,” Hands of Hope Director Cyndi Powell said of her role with the organization. “It’s kind of nice to be able to be the people that can say, ‘yeah, we can do that.”
Hands of Hope has completed jobs for an estimated 1,090 people. There are 15 types of work the group’s volunteers and some hired help provide from painting to roofing.
The Williams family in Rockport received some of that help after Harvey forced them to gut their home and get a new roof before rebuilding.
“It was a wreck,” Royce Williams said.
“It was heartbreaking,” Cynthia Williams said.
The couple, their three kids, and two dogs had lived in a trailer on their property since Harvey until last month. Their home is livable and taking shape due in large part to Hands of Hope.
“Bringing the kids back was the most important thing,” Cynthia Williams said. “Just getting it fixed for the kids. Big people understand, but little kids not so much.”
Learn more about Rockport Hands of Hope. Visit http://rockporthandsofhope.com/blog/
