How The Andy Roddick Foundation Has Helped Texans Following Winter Storm

The Andy Roddick Foundation focusses on supporting underprivileged children by providing high quality out-of-school learning and enrichment opportunities for families that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford them.

But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation has pivoted to support those same families in new ways over the past year. And last week, when millions in Texas were left without electricity, heat and running water following a devastating winter storm, the Foundation again sprang into action.

The Andy Roddick Foundation gathered donations from local partners to support more than 100 of the families it serves year-round to help them in the storm’s aftermath. They secured goods to create grocery bags filled with non-perishable items, packs of Richard’s Rainwater, gift cards to Walmart for groceries, gift cards to Torchy’s Tacos, hot meals from Rudy’s BBQ and blankets to stay warm in the cool conditions. This week, the Foundation is distributing Yeti insulated sleeping bags.

“The effects of COVID-19, systematic racial injustices and the recent weather storms do not fall evenly across our community. The students and families the Foundation serves have been hardest hit by all of these crises,” Roddick said. “Not only is it the Foundation’s obligation to ensure that these students and families have access to high-quality educational opportunities during normal times, but that obligation increases during unprecedented times, such as these.

“That’s why we pitch in and try to help however possible, from providing assistance to meet basic needs like food and shelter to a text or phone call so they know they're not forgotten. Though this is beyond the scope of our normal focus of providing educational excellence outside the classroom, we will never abandon our families when they need us most.”

Donate To The Family Emergency Fund

The Andy Roddick Foundation’s Family Emergency Fund has raised more than $235,000 since its inception last April. Nearly $10,000 was donated last weekend alone. The Fund has helped support families by supplying them with basic needs, community and educational resources — including for social and emotional health — and at-home learning tools such as tablets.

Separately, Roddick and his wife, Brooklyn Decker helped provide 4,000 tacos to local healthcare workers after the storm.

Another familiar face in the tennis world, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who promoted the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston in 2003 and 2004, also helped those in need. McIngvale opened up his furniture stores for Texans who needed shelter and food.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3r0qFya