Greetings from the Texas Hill Country. I hope you are doing well and staying warm.
My family, friends, and pups here are all safe. This was a difficult, stressful, and dangerous week for a lot of people and animals, but it's been beautiful to see many around the world finding ways to support them. I'm hopeful that from this disaster can come lasting change and focus on emergency preparedness. I also hope that those people, industries, and organizations still suffering will find relief in the coming days.
In case you are interested in helping, there are lots of mutual aid groups and animal shelters that are putting donations directly towards helping people and animals affected. The list of credible groups is long, and I encourage you to look through them if you are interested in learning how each is making a difference. If you're overwhelmed by the amount of groups collecting donations, I will share 2 here:
Powered By People - 100% of donations go towards Texans in need. None will go toward overhead or administrative costs (although I do want to acknowledge that covering those fees is still helpful and important!) and donations will be distributed to effective organizations in areas across Texas that need it most.
Austin Pets Alive! - This huge animal shelter serves as a hub and is working with groups beyond Austin, and even beyond Texas, to ensure animals in danger are rescued. I am partial to this organization because I have adopted two animals through it, but I think all animal rescues could use extra support at this time. In a way similar to Powered By People, APA! is using its resources to help a variety of groups across the state that are most in need of assistance. They contributed to the rescue of primates in a San Antonio sanctuary and wild sea turtles that were in danger due to the extreme weather.
I'm very fortunate and grateful that despite the small inconveniences of inconsistent electricity and water, this week was okay for the Borts and I. We had two different snow days, and as bizarre as it was to see, the land looked beautiful covered in the icy fluff. The pups loved zooming through the snow and Bart in particular enjoyed snacking on it. I will close this letter with some photos of our snow week to remind us all that there is always beauty to be appreciated, even in times of devastation.
love,
Jessica