Volunteers help keep hurricane victims fed during rebuilding period

Pop-up tents offer burgers, salads, as well as comfort

PORT ARANSAS, Texas – Some families along the Texas Gulf coast were left with nothing after Hurricane Harvey destroyed their homes and leveled businesses.

People from across the country, though, have stepped up to help get these families back on their feet.

One such makeshift relief effort is making sure the people of Port Aransas are staying fed.

The cooks at the so-called Camp David — a tent on a street corner in what’s known locally as “Port A” —  are center stage, whipping up everything from burgers to beans.

“We are helping,” volunteer Dana Hanson said. “We are helping serve the locals in Port Aransas (who) have been hit by the hurricane.”

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Hanson said she came down with some of her friends who had visited the area before.

“It's so much more tragic than I thought,” Hanson said. “We came down here and we didn't think it was this bad, and there is just debris everywhere, and it’s really sad.”

The meals Hanson and the other volunteers are making at Camp David are being offered at no charge. Organizers have said they’re seeing up to 3,000 people come through per day.

People who have been helped say Camp David — and the rest of the recovery and rebuilding efforts up and down the coast — is what makes the community what it is. 


About the Authors:

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.