Local moms organize bra donations for Harvey victims
HOUSTON, Texas -- Two Memorial area moms are giving back during Hurricane Harvey, not only to their neighbors but also to women who have everyday needs.
Cara Adams and Holly Hitchen knew each other through Facebook. After Harvey hit, they started a new page called Hurricane Moms That Need Help Memorial. The idea began as a small way to help their neighbors.
"We thought it was 100 people, and it's now 1,400 people," said Adams. "The community has been so wonderful with the donations, and the donations don't stop."
Along the way, they got a significant donation from ThirdLove.com, an online bra and underwear company based on the West Coast. ThirdLove shipped several hundred bras and panties to the moms because so many women lost everything in the floods.
After sorting through and packaging donations for Memorial area moms, Hitchen and Adams realized they had more than what they needed, and looked for a charity that could also benefit.
Eyewitness News reached out to the Houston Area Women's Center, which runs a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. They were excited to be paired up with the moms and their ThirdLove donations.
"During Harvey, the need is great, but the need never changes at non-profits like ours," said Chau Nguyen, the Chief Marketing Officer for the Houston Area Women's Center. "Women come in, day in and day out, and they need the basic necessities, like underwear and bras."
So on Tuesday morning, the two Memorial moms boxed up hundreds of ThirdLove bras and panties that had been stored in their homes and loaded the donations into Nguyen's SUV. Everyone involved had tears in their eyes.
"Women come in every day, every night, and they come in with nothing all the time," said Nguyen. "Just the basics, they're so grateful.
As for Hitchen and Adams, both ladies are excited to extend their reach.
I felt really bad for them, and I was just really thankful that we didn't flood and we were able to help them.
"It makes me think of what's next, what we can do next to help people," said Adams, who is still managing the Facebook group. Currently, she is trying to find a variety of furniture for displaced families.
"It's nice to be able to help the people in our area," said Hitchen. "So many people in Houston are affected."
