More than 1,400 Rice students volunteering following Hurricane Harvey

Rice University
Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

David Ruth
612-702-9473
david@rice.edu

Amy McCaig
217-417-2901
amym@rice.edu

More than 1,400 Rice students volunteering following Hurricane Harvey

HOUSTON – (Aug. 31, 2017) – While Rice University is closed this week in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Rice students, faculty and staff have mobilized to help – both to assist victims of the devastating storm and to keep campus up and running.

Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Center for Civic Leadership, Student Association and Graduate Student Association have formed the Rice Harvey Action Team (R-HAT), a way to match volunteers with specific community needs in the coming weeks. So far, more than 1,400 students have signed up to help, in addition to faculty and staff who have volunteered their time. Volunteers are working at local shelters (including NRG Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center), the Houston Food Bank (packaging 31,710 meals in the first four hours of operation Aug. 31) and as part of demolition teams to help storm victims clear out damage. Student volunteers can sign up throughout the semester at http://rhat.rice.edu.

Rice students have also pitched in on campus to assist with assessing the needs of Rice community members impacted by Hurricane Harvey and to support staff members to keep the campus up and running during the storm.

Members of the media interested in learning more about Rice volunteer efforts can contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at 612-702-9473.

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Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Rice Houston Action Team website: http://rhat.rice.edu

Photo link: http://news.rice.edu/files/2017/08/Harvey-Food-Bank-Volunteering-170831-27hp7ou.jpg

Photo credit: Rice Doerr Institute

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