How the Coupon Community Can Help Texas

The unprecedented winter weather that has taken over the U.S. has hit Texas especially hard. Millions of people have had to live without power, heat, and drinkable water. And many stores have shut their doors.

You’re probably wondering: How can I help Texas? What can I do now to contribute? The coupon community can use some of their tools to make a difference right now.

Here’s what you can do to help Texas:

 

1. Donate your Ibotta savings to Texas organizations.

Ibotta is a free rebate system that credits you for purchases on select groceries, retail items, and more. We’ve got an article telling you all about how to use Ibotta.

Once you hit at least $20 in rebates, you can cash out rewards to your Venmo or PayPal account — and once it’s in your account, you can turn around and donate it to various organizations working on the ground in Texas.

Venmo

While there are plenty of organizations big and small that could use your Venmo donations, here are a few that we found:

• Funky Town Fridge: Distributing food in Fort Worth. (Donate @FunkyTownFridge.)
• Lucha Dallas: Giving people in need warm meals, hot drinks, and other supplies. (Donate @luchadallas.)
• Rice Mutual Aid: College student-led fundraising effort. (Donate @ricemutualaid.)
• DFW Mutual Aid: Umbrella group dedicated to fundraising and supporting various relief organizations in the Dallas area. (Donate @DFWMutualAid.)
• Para Mi Gente: Helping San Antonio with groceries/supplies and emergency housing. (Donate @paramigente.)
• Austin Mutual Aid Hotels: Providing emergency housing in the Austin area. (Donate @austinmutualaidhotels.)

PayPal

You can donate your PayPal balance to countless organizations (browse a long list of Texas nonprofits here), but if you want a place to start, check these out:

• Meals on Wheels Central Texas: Nonprofit that does wellness checks on seniors and brings them food. (Donate here.)
• Blanco River Regional Recovery Team: Helping the elderly and uninsured who’ve suffered home damage as a result of the storm. (Donate here.)
• The Patchwork Place: Organization that helps repair/renovate homes in Texas, working to fix houses damaged by the winter storm. (Donate here.)
• North Texas Food Bank: Providing access to food to families facing hunger. (Donate here.)
• Houston SPCA: Rescuing and protecting animals in the community. (Donate here.)

RELATED: How Does Ibotta Work? It’s Easier than You Think. I’ll Show You!

 

2. Let Amazon donate to Texas on your behalf with AmazonSmile.

If you’re not using AmazonSmile, you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to help charities.

AmazonSmile is exactly the same as regular Amazon, except half of 1% of every purchase goes to the charity of your choice. It costs NO EXTRA to do this — so why wouldn’t you?

Here’s what you do:

1. Visit smile.amazon.com.
2. Log in with your Amazon account.
3. Find one of the charities above (or search for another one).
4. Make purchases like normal (making sure you’re using smile.amazon.com).

Note: If you use the Amazon app, tap the menu button in the lower right corner of the app, scroll until you see the AmazonSmile option, and then make sure you set it up to make donations. You have to renew the connection twice a year.

RELATED: 21 Amazon Prime Shopping Perks You Probably Didn’t Know About

 

 

3. Send warm blankets directly to organizations.

There are a number of organizations in Texas that need blankets. The easiest way to help from afar is to find a good blanket deal online and have it shipped directly to these organizations.

Here are some recent blanket deals:

• Mainstays Value Bed Blanket, Twin/Twin-XL, $7.88 each from Walmart.com.
• Solid Fleece Bed Blanket – Room Essentials™, Twin/Twin-XL, $10 each from Target.com.
• EIUE Comfortable Flannel Fleece Throw Blanket, $9.99 from Amazon.com.

Here are just a few organizations accepting blankets:

• Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support: 4411 Lemmon Ave #201, Dallas, TX, 75219
• Jubilee Park & Community Center: PO Box 710759, Dallas, TX 75371
• Front Steps Shelter & Warming Center: PO Box 684519, Austin, TX 7876
• Austin Pets Alive (they need towels, tarps, and dog beds): 1156 West Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX, 78703

There’s also a good list here from The Austin American-Statesman.

(Where there’s a PO Box address listed, just make sure that you enter PO Box on the “Address 1” line and the box number on the “Address 2” line, to get it delivered without complications.)

 

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