On Saturday, June 17th, I had the privilege of photographing an amazing charity event near Houston’s Main Public Library on McKinney Street, across from City Hall.
Here’s the scoop:
Some months ago, at a crawfish boil I hosted, my friend Steve Gutterud, President of Complete Home Innovations, asked me if I’d be available to shoot candids at a downtown Houston event in June, and how much I’d charge for an afternoon of shooting.
“What’s the event?” I asked.
“We’re going to distribute food, clothes, shoes and more to the homeless.”
“Wow. That’s great. I’ll be there. Just tell me where and when. No charge of course.”
Turns out, Steve and his friend Amy Millsaps, together with Mr. Hiawatha Henry and Ms. Bethany Alexander regularly feed the homeless at the library on Wednesdays.
I don’t know how Steve got the word out around town for this special Saturday event, but it worked. The team collected over three hundred pounds of donated men’s and women’s like-new clothing which was laboriously sorted-by-size by the volunteers, plus 20 suitcases, lightly-used backpacks and 100 pairs of new, packaged socks and more.
But, that’s not all.
Mr. Star Love, together with Strive HVAC & Construction, donated 130 fresh, hot burgers.
Mr. John Hunter, President of NSL Aerospace and Ms. Tonya Hamilton contributed over 100 pounds of packaged crackers, protein bars, snacks, 140 cans of soda, and more. All contributions were painstakingly cataloged for distribution by Mr. Steven Paul Martinez of Houston’s Alloy Metals & Tubes International.
In all, 130 meals were served to needy individuals and families. And the clothing was tearfully appreciated.
The most touching moment came late in the event when a young girl approached the volunteers, barefoot, inquiring if there were still any shoes to be had. One of the volunteers replied, “No. But you can have mine.” She gave the girl her brand-new shoes. Amazing.
If you or your firm would like to contact this wonderful team of volunteers to offer your assistance, contribute clothing, packaged food and more, call us at 832-843-7488. We’ll put you in touch.
Thanks for reading. – Gary
