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Mayor Pro Tem Martha Casseck Statham highlights Helping Hands food program after hurricane
Summary
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Casseck Statham outlined a Helping Hands food-assistance effort to aid Houston residents who lost power during the recent hurricane, saying some residents were denied FEMA aid and that private partners including HNTB and Kroger have contributed to the effort.
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Casseck Statham announced the Helping Hands program aimed at getting food to Houston residents affected by the recent hurricane, saying the effort began after residents reported being denied FEMA assistance and enduring power outages.
Statham said the initiative started when HNTB became the first private contributor and that the council reached out to a grocer to match donations so the program’s funds would go further. "Shortly after the hurricane, I began receiving reports from residents that have been denied by FEMA," Statham said, noting some households were without power for up to 11 days.
The Helping Hands program, as described by Statham, pairs private donations with matched grocery contributions to deliver food to residents in District K and other affected neighborhoods. Statham thanked HNTB representatives Mike Abenet and others for their initial support and identified Kroger as a matching partner facilitating distribution.
The announcement signaled a reliance on private-sector and local grocery partnerships to supplement relief for households that did not receive FEMA assistance. Statham asked colleagues and staff to continue outreach to partners and to coordinate distribution in District K. No formal votes or motions were recorded during this portion of the meeting, and Statham framed the remarks as an update on relief coordination rather than a council action.
Council members named by Statham — Thomas, Huffman, Castillo, Davis, Alcorn and Flicker — were thanked for attending; no additional speakers were recorded in the transcript excerpt. The program’s funding sources beyond the initial corporate and grocery contributions were not specified in the remarks, nor were operational details such as distribution timelines or eligibility requirements.
