(Talk1370.com) -- Hours after Tuesday's mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde left 19 children and two teachers dead, Central Texans are seeking out ways to help the victims and their families deal with the tragedy.
Officials with the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center in San Antonio said they sent 25 units of blood to the scene Tuesday afternoon, with more on the way as needed. More than 600 donors donated to the blood bank Tuesday afternoon, and the group says its appointments are full through Saturday.
Here in the Austin area, We Are Blood says they have not yet been called upon to help our neighbors in South Texas. WRB is encouraging individuals to book an appointment or come to mobile drives, which can be found online at WeAreBlood.org. A special mobile walk-in blood drive will be held at the State Capitol on Thursday from 9 a.m. until 3p.m.
Uvalde CISD officials announced Wednesday that an official memorial fund has been opened at the First State Bank of Uvalde. Donations to the Robb School Memorial Fund can be made through First State Bank at 200 East Nopal Street, Uvalde, Tex., 78801.
Non-profit VictimsFirst has established a GoFundMe account that will provide 100% of the donations to victims and survivors. The non-profit was formed by victims of other mass casualty crimes, who are seeking to stop the re-victimization of the families in the wake of these tragedies.
GoFundMe says its Trust & Safety team is working to verify other fundraisers to ensure that they are legitimate. Those resources that have been verified by GoFundMe's team can be found on the GoFundMe website.