A group of veterans from northern Virginia recently came together to help people in Texas as they recover from winter storms that covered the state in snow and ice earlier this month.
Marine and Afghanistan veteran Liz Hensel saw news accounts of the damage the storms left behind and knew she had to do something to help those in need.
“It just broke my heart,” she said. “I knew we had to do something to help.”
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Hensel, who also founded Leave No Paws Behind USA, reached out to fellow veteran David Pineda for help in gathering supplies for the effort.
“With his support, we were able to grow this on a 10-fold scale,” she said. . “We went from a little trailer to a full-on box truck.”
Pineda served in the U.S. Army and founded Veterans Network after serving in Iraq and being a first responder in New York City during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack.
Inside the truck were over $3,000 worth of supplies for the relief effort, including water, blankets, nonperishable food items and pet supplies.
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Hensel and two of her friends who are also Marine veterans made the 22-hour drive from Virginia to Austin, Texas on Sunday.
“We really wanted to make sure that these goods went back to the community,” she added.
When they arrived in Austin, the group reached out to members of the Austin City Council for help in identifying groups in the most need. They were soon paired with Austin Voices, for Education and Youth, a group that helps school students.
“It just happened when we arrived the manager, he was down to his last two cases of water and he didn’t know what he was going to do,” she said. “Then we arrived with water. It was perfect timing.”
The group next visited Austin Pets Alive, where they dropped off water, dog food and cat litter.
Hensel said the group’s military service was invaluable as they prepared and organized the relief effort.
“I honestly feel when the intention is pure, everything will come together,” said Hensel. “That’s honestly what it felt like with this mission.”
You can donate directly to Austin Voices here and Austin Pets Alive here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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