Help Bluffton ‘adopt’ this Texas town, and other ways you can help Harvey victims from the Lowcountry

Last October, Hurricane Matthew struck and stunned Beaufort County. The memories of the storm were surely on the minds of Lowcountry residents as they watched Hurricane Harvey devastate Houston and other parts of Texas with widespread flooding.

The good news is this: Beaufort County residents yearning to help victims of Hurricane Harvey have local options. Here are a couple of local organizations offering their services:

▪  Rainbow Int’l Restoration of the Lowcountry, a group that helped local residents after Hurricane Matthew, is collecting bleach, brooms, rubber gloves, large trash bags, water, bug spray, sunscreen, snacks, paper products, medical supplies, hygiene items, among other similar items. You can drop those items off at the group’s office at 322 Spanish Wells Road. Note: Besides new socks, the group is not collecting clothing at this time.

▪  Fish Camp at Broad Creek will be collecting donations in the form of gift cards to national chains such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, and other similar stores. Gift card donations will be accepted at all Coastal Restaurants and Bars (CRAB).

“We all know the devastation a hurricane can bring long after the storm has passed. Let’s show others that #HHIStrong stretches beyond our island borders,” Fish Camp posted on its Instagram page.

▪ Local Kroger stores are asking their customers to give money donations in the checkout line by rounding up the amount spent on their purchase and contributing the change. For example, if a purchase came to $30.23, the customer would round up her bill to $31, and that additional 77 cents would go to hurricane relief efforts through the Red Cross. The fundraiser runs through Sunday.

▪ Bluffton resident Heather Nicole Price is “adopting” a small Texas town by working with other local residents and businesses to collect items for the 1,500 residents of of Shoreacres, Texas. The mayor of Shoreacres is requesting items such as cleaning supplies, paper plates, paper towels, bug spray, new socks, dog food, heavy duty gloves and other items. People interested in contributing can drop off their donations at Ulmer Pharmacy and The Carriage Shop in Bluffton, and Art Cafe, Lettres on the Main Street Village and the Conviction training facility on Hilton Head. For more information, visit the Bluffton/Hilton Head Ask and Answer Facebook group (this is a private group, so you will need to ask to join if you are not already a member).

▪ All Coastal Restaurants And Bars locations are accepting gift cards for national chains such as Walmart, Target, Lowe’s Home Improvement and The Home Depot. Locations include Reilley’s Grill & Bar, Reilley’s North End Pub, The Crazy Crab (Jarvis Creek and Harbour Town), Aunt Chilada’s Easy Street Cafe, The Boardroom, Carolina Crab Company and Fishcamp on Broad Creek. The gift cards will be sent along with notes from Hilton Head Elementary students.

▪ SugarBelle is collecting items on behalf of Hope City of Houston and Samartians Purse. Water, personal hygiene products and baby formula can be dropped off at the women’s clothing store at 905 Boundary St., Beaufort. The store also plans to sponsor a group to travel to Houston and aid Samaritans Purse.

▪ Lowcountry Community Church plans to send volunteers to Texas to help with cleanup efforts. For more information, email Benedette McGuire at missions@lowcountry.org.

If you know of more local organizations, please notify The Island Packet at newsroom@islandpacket.com, and this story will be updated.

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Help Bluffton ‘adopt’ this Texas town, and other ways you can help Harvey victims from the Lowcountry."