Hunt, Texas serves as ground zero for the historic July 4 floods, and the remaining damage has kept the small community from fully recovering.
For starters, Hunt remains the only city without a working gas station, functioning grocery store, or even a single open restaurant.
To combat the long road ahead, volunteers, including Marissa Rios, have organized a fundraising event to give the community some hope.
“Hope for Hunt” offers “a night of music and hope” from 2-11 p.m. Oct. 18 at Pure Country BBQ, 1481 S. Main St. Rios, who serves as a coordinator for the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department, said the event isn’t just to bring in financial support — which is certainly needed — but also to bring awareness for the immediate need of volunteers.
“The first week of the floods, we had anywhere from 600 to 800 volunteers,” Rios said. “But every week after we would lose close to 200 volunteers at a time.”
Hunt is focused on rebuilding the local grocery store, where community events would be held, including concerts. But she said there aren’t enough volunteers to expedite the cleaning.
“When we came up with this event, people would tell us they already gave what they could,” Rios said. “But you can still help by just volunteering to help clean the spaces that we have an urgent need for.”
The community of Hunt doesn’t need just volunteers; there is also a serious need for equipment to clear debris. Because the needs fluctuate regularly, Rios suggests contacting the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department to see which machinery is needed for that week.
“The Hunt Preservation Society keeps up with the needs of families and the restoration of severely impacted areas,” Rios said. “They will receive half of the proceeds made from the event.”
The other 50% will go to the Hunt Volunteer Department in order to purchase more equipment to prepare for future needs.
General admission tickets for the Hope for Hunt concert are $80 and will have barbecue plates from Pure Country BBQ & Grill. To learn more about the event, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/pure-country-bbq-and-grill/ hope-for-hunt/1204055215158045/ To learn more about volunteer efforts, contact Marissa Rios at marrios1@ me.com
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