Jimmy Kimmel joins ABC13 campaign to help Texas winter storm victims

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As residents across southeast Texas recover from this week's historic winter storms, Jimmy Kimmel Live! gave victims in need a big boost Thursday night during its opening monologue.

Jimmy Kimmel devoted the beginning of Thursday's show to the headlines unfolding in Texas, as thousands are still struggling with power and water outages, in addition to damage from burst pipes days after two winter storms hit the state.

Kimmel also gave ABC13 Houston's campaign benefiting storm victims a lift, asking his audience to text ABC13 to 41444 to donate directly to Houston Food Bank. Anyone who texts that number can contribute a gift of any amount.

For every dollar raised through the campaign, three meals will be donated to the hungry in 18 southeast Texas counties.

As of 8:30 a.m. CST, more than 220,000 meals have been donated by ABC13 and Jimmy Kimmel Live! viewers.

Earlier Thursday, Houston Food Bank reopened its doors to volunteers, who immediately went to work sorting, packing and distributing pallets of storm relief for thousands in need.

The storms have left the state in urgent need of food and other essentials as freezing temperatures and dangerous road conditions have disrupted the supply chain to Texas grocery stores.

Multiple deaths have been attributed to the storms after the coldest February temperatures in 122 years moved into Houston on Monday and Tuesday, including the death of an 11-year-old Conroe boy and as many as nine others in Galveston County.

The Houston Food Bank tweeted Thursday it is also in urgent need of volunteers to help move food and other resources out of its warehouses to hundreds of partner food pantries and assistance ministries. If you would like to help, you can sign up for a volunteer shift on Houston Food Bank's website.