Coleman Medina knew he had to do something.
Medina is a native of Corpus Christie, a city located on Texas's Gulf Coast. His father still lives there. Hurricane Harvey made landfall near the city on August 25. We all know what happened next.
As the General Manager of Coleman Worldwide Moving in San Antonio, Medina reasoned that his team might be in a unique position to help get food and other basic necessities to their fellow Texans in the wake of this devastating storm.
"We're a moving company, we had trucks available, we had a driver," Medina said. All that he had to do now was find a way to fill the trailer with the supplies.
Medina is a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in San Antonio and his children go to school there. So he called Chuck Woehler, the Rector at St. Thomas, to ask if he might be able to hold a relief drive at the Church. Woehler, of course, said yes and told Medina that he could bring the truck to the Church whenever he liked. In the meantime, Woehler sent an email to his parishioners, as well as the other congregations within the Diocese of West Texas.
Everything was now in place, and the Coleman truck would soon be on its way to the church. When Medina and his team arrived, however, they realized they were a little late.
"People were at the church with donations before we even got there," he said. "Within a couple of hours, people were dropping off food, obviously, but also brooms, mops, and cleaning supplies. They must have gone to the grocery store or Home Depot as soon as we let them know it was happening."
In just 3 days, nearly 14,000 lbs. of food, water, and supplies were collected to assist the victims in Houston and Corpus Christie.
Medina said Coleman was ready to fill another truck, but after speaking with relief organizations in the affected areas, they decided to wait.
"Right now they are inundated with supplies, so we are waiting until there is a need," he said.
The outpouring of support that Texas has received in the immediate aftermath of this unprecedented storm has been amazing, but rebuilding is going to take years. Medina says that he and the rest of his team at Coleman Worldwide Moving will be there to lend their support for as long as it takes.
"We're going to continue to do this until everyone is back on their feet."
The recovery process in Texas has only just begun. If you’d like to receive updates on how you can help, please click here.
