It’s rained so much in Houston that the National Weather Service had to add new colors so it can map Harvey’s rains.

We are collecting donations at Counter Culture this weekend that will be driven down to Houston this Monday so stop by, have brunch, and drop off items, diapers for babies and adults, tampons, and toiletries are especially needed. So if you have a ton of travel size bottles of Dr. Bonner’s now is the time to donate them! Sue will also be collecting for the Austin Food Bank. If you aren’t in town here are some Amazon wish lists that charities have put up.

This week the Vegan Nom will also be donating a portion of their sales to hurricane relief and they are having their famous brisket and jalapeno mac and cheese taco on special so eat delicious food to help!

This Saturday you drop off donations the Wandering Vegan Market and pick up some super cool vegan items, eat at Cool Beans, and have a portion of your money go to relief efforts at certain spots. Vida Green Consulting is donating 20% of proceeds. Sender’s Receive Tarot is donating $5 per reading and there is more to come.

September 3rd ATX vegan drinks is hosting a Garage Sale Benefit for Harvey. Donate or go or both!

There are a ton of benefit concerts this weekend too including the Octopus Project playing a two stage fest at the Mohawk and it’s bright and sunny now so eat tacos and listen to live music to help out! Here is a list of restaurants and bars donating.

Austin Bakes is putting together another giant city wide bake sale to donate as well. Sign up to help and bake vegan treats to sell!

Fostering a pet here from Austin Pets Alive or even at shelters networked throughout the country will make a huge impact for an abandoned dog. (I’m not going to include a picture because I can’t look at them without getting emotional.) The Austin Animal Center is taking all kinds of donations and also needs fosters and volunteers. Austin Wildlife Rescue takes in injured wildlife. They’re asking for cash or in-kind donations from their wish list. Of course the Houston SPCA is doing a lot of work on the front lines and needs donations and volunteers.

We Are Blood said it has an ongoing and growing need for blood donors visit the We Are Blood website or call 512-206-1266 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also accepted but appointments are greatly appreciated. There are two donation locations in Austin, one in Round Rock, as well as several mobile drives taking place across the area.  You can always donate blood to the American Red Cross and there are more local organizations accepting blood donations are Carter BloodCare and the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.

Here is a great list of charities and organizations working to keep immigrant, Black, Latinx and other populations safe after Hurricane Harvey. I didn’t realize until this event that Trans folks are often shut out of shelters even during disasters! Also, if you have a spare wheelchair, other medical devices or extra school supplies this is probably a great time to donate it.

The City of Austin put out a great list of local organizations and Mayor Adler is asking people who can to offer a room which you can set up for free through Airbnb. The list also includes ways to volunteer.

Finally, if you just want to donate money in general and don’t want to read any lists or make hard decisions the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was created by the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, as a direct response to people asking how they could help the city. On Monday, Turner who is also a lawyer, announced in a press conference that he would personally represent any undocumented people who faced deportation as a result of seeking help because of the storm.