Giving Compass' Take:

• Shondra Muhammad greatly helped her community center in Houston after Hurricane Harvey by learning from past problems encountered during hurricane relief. She realized that actual donations and money were helping the disaster relief more than other forms of aid. 

• Hurricane relief requires donations for immediate needs as well as long-term planning. How can donors play a role in each area?

• Learn more about ways people helped and responded to Hurricane Harvey. 


2019 will mark 50 years that S.H.A.P.E. Community Center has served the people of Houston, working to improve educational opportunities, alleviate poverty, and strengthen families across the city.

And while the S.H.A.P.E. doesn’t specialize in responding to natural disasters, they’re no stranger to the destruction hurricanes can wreak. They’ve helped Houstonians recover from Hurricanes Ike and Rita, and when Katrina struck New Orleans, S.H.A.P.E.’s team was there to find housing and provide food and clothing to the massive influx of displaced families.

Hurricane Harvey, however, posed a whole new set of challenges to this Houston institution.

Read the full article about effective disaster relief by Disaster Recovery Network at GlobalGiving.