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Taylor Swift Just Made a 'Very Sizable Donation' to Hurricane Harvey Relief


PHOTO: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The full impact of Hurricane Harvey‘s destruction continues to be made apparent during what some are saying is the worst natural disaster to hit Texas. Trillion of gallons of water has been dumped on Houston and surrounding areas, and the estimated death toll has topped 50 as of Saturday, according to Houston’s Chron.com (this figure includes those who are “feared dead”). Luckily, people are doing what they can to help relief efforts. Lots of stars have opened their wallets to give to those in need and the organizations waiting to help them—and the latest to offer a donation is Taylor Swift.

On Friday, the Houston Food Bank posted that Swift had made “a very sizable donation” to the organization. She did so in honor of her mom, the food bank shared, who’s a University of Houston alumna. “We thank you, Taylor, and we thank everyone for donating to help rebuild our community,” the food bank added.

She’s not the only celebrity to give, either—far from it. After Kevin Hart, who pledged $25,000 of his own money to relief efforts, issued a call to Hollywood to donate, the Kardashians donated $500,000. Beyoncé is joining in to help her hometown with her philanthropic arm, BeyGOOD. Leonardo DiCaprio has pledged $1 million to the United Way Recovery Fund; Sandra Bullock sent another cool million to the American Red Cross. Nicki Minaj has pledged $25,000. J.Lo and Alex Rodriguez did a joint donation of $50,000. Miley Cyrus is giving $500,000. Ellen DeGeneres lived up to her last name with $75,000 in total coming from her and her show. President Donald Trump has also promised to donate $1 million of his own money.

If you want to help aid Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, here’s a list of ways you can help no matter where you are.



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Hurricane Harvey Victims Need Tampons, Pads, and Diapers—Here's How You Can Help


PHOTO: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

It’s been a week since Hurricane Harvey first made landfall, and now tens of thousands of Texans are trying to cope with the colossal damage caused by the storm. Harvey—possibly the worst disaster Texas has ever seen—has left at least 46 people dead, forced around 42,000 into emergency shelters, and left over 60,000 without power.

It’s hard to imagine dealing with your period and other bodily functions on top of it all, but for countless women, it’s the reality. In the wake of the storm, securing tampons, pads, diapers, and other basics has been a major struggle for many women—especially those who are low-income or homeless. Most shelters don’t have such items stocked, and the supplies that were available are quickly dwindling.

“Periods don’t stop for hurricanes,” Dana Marlowe, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Support the Girls, told Circa. “Periods don’t stop for flooding.”

Millions of dollars have already poured into the Harvey relief efforts—and a growing list of celebrities pledging major donations—but there are plenty of opportunities for you to directly help women and families who are in desperate need of basic supplies. Here are a few organizations that need your help.

The Texas Diaper Bank is preparing for an expected 10,000 displaced families. You can donate to their website or check out their Amazon account for disaster relief essentials you can buy. If you are in the San Antonio area, the organization is also seeking out volunteers to help sort items for distribution.

#HappyPeriod collects pads, tampons, soap, wipes, and underwear for women who are low-income, homeless, or living in poverty. You can donate directly to their Houston chapter or purchase items from their Amazon wishlist to send directly to their Harvey relief operations.

The Homeless Period Project’s Houston affiliate has created an Amazon wish list and you can purchase pads and tampons for women and girls who have been affected by Harvey.

Support the Girls is sending bras, pads, and tampons to women and girls in Houston. A suggested donation of $22 is enough to cover a full kit containing all of these items. You can also send products to their Wylie, Texas, location.

Aquí Estamos RGV, a youth-led south Texas advocacy group for LGBTQ people of color, has partnered with the bilingual multimedia company NETA to collect donations for The Homeless Period Project of the Rio Grande Valley.

Simply the Basics is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that assembles hygiene kits—which include soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, and feminine hygiene products—for homeless and low-income communities. They are accepting donations for hygiene kits to send to victims of Harvey.

For more ways to contribute to the relief efforts, here’s how you can help victims of Harvey in Texas, no matter where you are.



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Donald Trump Donates $1 Million to Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts


PHOTO: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

With the current White House administration plaguing us by near-constant disarray and destruction, it’s with great surprise that we put forth some not-miserable news about President Donald Trump.

This afternoon White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders relayed the message that Trump will be donating approximately $1 million of his own money to aid the relief efforts brought forth by catastrophic Hurricane Harvey—something that Democrats and Republicans can both agree is a noble deed. Per CNBC, Huckabee Sanders said Trump hasn’t decided which specific organization he’ll be donating to, and he actually told Huckabee Sanders to ask the reporters at today’s press briefing to share their charity recommendations, due to these reporters being “very good at research,” according to The Hill.

“As I said, he’ll pledge probably $1 million of his own personal money to help the people of both Texas and Louisiana,” Huckabee Sanders explained. “He would like to join in the efforts that a lot of people we have seen across the country do.” Other prominent figures who’ve donated $1 million to charities supporting Hurricane Harvey victims include Leonardo DiCaprio and Sandra Bullock, while other celebrities, including the Kardashian family, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus, and Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, have also pledged significant donations.

The news of Trump’s generous donation comes after a rocky few days for the President and his wife, Melania. The couple visited Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday, a city hit badly by the hurricane, where the Commander in Chief drew ire for not witnessing much of the devastation firsthand, joking about the name Harvey, and boasting about the size of the crowd that met him. (Melania’s choice in outfit didn’t exactly help matters, either.) CNBC also notes that the First Couple will travel to the affected areas of Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana, in a matter of days, although the itinerary has yet to be finalized.

Related: How You Can Help Victims of Harvey in Texas, No Matter Where You Are



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Miley Cyrus Pledges $500,000 to Help Victims of Hurricane Harvey


Say what you will about Miley Cyrus, but there’s nothing not to love about this.

The pop star revealed during a Wednesday appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show that she’s donating $500,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, barely containing her tears as she talked about the devastating storm and its aftermath.

“It’ll make me cry, so I can’t really talk about it,” Cyrus said. “I don’t know why it makes me so upset…I really hope people know—I couldn’t fake it. My grandma’s sitting here and my mom’s here and I go home to my seven dogs. If I didn’t have that anymore, it’d just be really hard.”

“I’m really happy to help any way that I can,” she continued. “I hope people understand they can put themselves in those people’s shoes and just know what it feels like to have everything taken away from you.”

It’s no wonder Cyrus was so emotional: Experts have said Harvey is “probably the worst disaster” the state of Texas has ever seen. At least 35 people have died as a result of the storm, more than 30,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, and over 100,000 people are without running water.

Cyrus joins a growing list of celebrities pledging huge amounts of money to victims of Harvey. The Kardashian family has given $500,000 to the Salvation Army and Red Cross; Beyonce is working with her BEYGood foundation to help those in Houston; and Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the relief efforts. Comedian Kevin Hart has also signed onto the relief efforts, pledging $25,000 of his own and challenging other celebrities to rise to the occasion.

For those looking to follow suit and make donations of their own, there are plenty of ways to help—even if you’re miles away from Houston. Groups like Save the Children, the Texas Diaper Bank, and Global Giving had all set up Hurricane Harvey relief funds. Not sure where to contribute? You can find a full list of organizations here.



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The Kardashians Are Donating $500,000 to Hurricane Harvey Relief


PHOTO: Gilbert Carrasquillo

The first family of reality TV is joining the growing list of celebrities donating to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. In a tweet on Tuesday, Kim Kardashian West announced that she, her mother Kris, and her sisters will be pledging $500,000 to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

The family seems to have been inspired by actor Kevin Hart, who called on celebrities to contribute to his relief fund. Hart himself pledged $25,000 to aid victims of the storm.

“My sisters, mom and I accept your challenge Kev!” Khloe Kardashian tweeted on Tuesday.

Hart’s hurricane relief fund had raised more than $300,000 at time of writing.

The reality stars follow some of the biggest names in entertainment who’ve stepped up to support the cause. Beyoncé announced in a statement that she’s working with BeyGOOD, her philanthropic initiative, to help as many people as possible affected by the storm; Lady Gaga tweeted that she was “making relief donations”; Katy Perry, during her hosting gig at the Video Music Awards, urged viewers to donate to the Red Cross.

The storm brought a record amount of rainfall to Texas—nearly 50 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Officials say at least nine people have died as a result of the devastating storm, and warn that upwards of 30,000 people will be displaced.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates the recovery will take years.



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Melania Trump Gets Mocked For Wearing Stilettos to Houston After Hurricane Harvey


On Tuesday, Donald and Melania Trump took off for Texas to witness the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the relief efforts taking place firsthand. Photos of the President and First Lady show Melania looking unusually casual in a green bomber jacket, a black shirt and black cropped pants, but instead of grabbing a pair of sneakers or, you know, rain boots, Melania choose to cap off her look with sky-high black stilettos.

Obviously, Twitter users couldn’t resist commenting on the choice of footwear, with some taking it as evidence that the First Lady cares more about her image than helping the victims of the hurricane. Others pointed out that they’re just plain ridiculous to wear during what the National Weather Service called “unprecedented” flooding.

A Trump spokesperson told The Washington Examiner in Melania’s defense that she planned to change into a different pair of shoes. Still, people are confused about why she was wearing her signature heels in the first place.

This isn’t the first time Melania’s come under fire for her fashion choices. In May, she wore a 51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket to the G7 Summit in Sicily, garnering criticism for flaunting her wealth while many Americans struggle to survive on far less money every year—especially as her husband’s administration furthers policies that would make life harder for these people.



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