SAN ANTONIO, TX, March 1, 2021 – Let’s Help SA, spearheaded by the Morgan’s Wonderland Inclusion Foundation (MWIF), has raised $3.16 million thus far to help San Antonians recover from the ravages of recent winter storms.
“We’re absolutely delighted with the amount received during the past week, and the good news is that donations are still coming in to provide even more assistance to those in distress throughout the community,” said Gordon Hartman, the driving force behind MWIF and creator of world-renowned Morgan’s Wonderland theme park. “We are sincerely and deeply grateful to everyone who gave so quickly and generously to the emergency fund. The donated dollars will help our neighbors in need of food, water and shelter get back on their feet.”
Hartman emphasized that the success of Let’s Help SA would not have been possible without generous contributions from Valero Energy, philanthropist Harvey E. Najim and many others in the community.
“We accepted Gordon Hartman’s call to action as so many people in San Antonio are suffering hardships through no fault of their own,” said Joe Gorder, Valero chairman and CEO. “Despite the historic challenges our business faced this past year, our company has been blessed, and we’re happy to support Let’s Help SA and provide food, shelter, fuel and other basic needs so important to everyday life but never more critical than during extreme weather events.”
“San Antonio once again has clearly demonstrated what a caring, supportive community it is through Let’s Help SA,” Najim added. “This swift outpouring of support to help people with food, shelter and utilities makes me truly proud to be a San Antonian. May our neighbors in tough circumstances recover from the winter storms as quickly as possible.”
MWIF identified three highly-respected, local non-profits – the San Antonio Food Bank, SAMMinistries and Haven for Hope – to receive Let’s Help SA funds to aid families and individuals in difficult circumstances. Hartman said the Let’s Help SA funding came just in time because the budgets of the three charitable organizations were already stretched thin due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden arrival of brutally-cold weather. All tax-deductible donations to Let’s Help SA via www.LetsHelpSA.com are going directly to winter storms relief. MWIF led the emergency fundraising effort but did not share in any of the campaign proceeds.
Fifty percent of the funds raised will be distributed today, and the remaining funds will be distributed by the end of the week, Hartman said. While the funds are being disbursed immediately, a formal check presentation will be announced in the coming weeks to give all partners involved in Let’s Help SA a chance to thank the community.
MWIF, an outgrowth of the success of the world’s first theme park designed with individuals with special needs in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment, coordinates planning, fundraising and communication among Morgan’s Wonderland and other endeavors to help those who deal with physical and cognitive special needs. For more information about MWIF, visit www.MorgansWonderland.com/MWIF, or call (210) 495-5888.
Information about the non-profit organizations distributing Let’s Help SA aid can be found as follows: San Antonio Food Bank, www.safoodbank.org; SAMMinistries, www.samm.org; Haven for Hope, www.havenforhope.org.
