Hurricane Beryl devastated the Caribbean and Gulf Coast of the United States earlier this month, killing and injuring dozens, costing millions of dollars in damage, and leaving millions without power for days on end.
Thousands of volunteers, humanitarian groups, and government agencies have stepped in to help, and Houston, Texas native Megan Thee Stallion is among them.
The 29-year-old rapper announced earlier this week that her foundation — the Pete & Thomas Foundation — would partner with Texas nonprofit Bread of Life Inc. to provide emergency generators for senior citizens in need.
“It’s been painful to watch the elderly population in Houston suffer without electricity during these devastating storms,” she shared in a statement for the foundation.
“That’s why we wanted to partner with Bread of Life to take a strategic approach to this problem and secure generators to help protect our senior citizens. We need to do our part to provide our elders with the best resources to withstand future emergencies.”
So far, the joint effort — dubbed the Emergency Power Program — has distributed 10 generators and supplies to seniors and their families, according to a statement shared on the Pete & Thomas Foundation social media pages.
Bread of Life is a Houston-area nonprofit that has long provided resources and support to the city’s most vulnerable groups.
“Through our partnership with Megan Thee Stallion and her Pete and Thomas Foundation, we hope to provide generators to senior personal care homes this hurricane season,” Bread of Life founder Rudy Rasmus said in a statement.
“Our goal is to provide generators to our most vulnerable seniors ahead of storms or other events that knock out power so there is no interruption in service.”
More resources for Houston locals recovering from the storm can also be found on the Pete & Thomas Foundation website.
This new partnership builds on the work Megan Thee Stallion (or, Megan Pete, as she’s known off-stage) has engaged in for years.
“The mission of the Pete and Thomas Foundation is to catalyze resources to effect meaningful and positive change in the lives of women and children, senior citizens, and underserved communities in Houston, Texas and across the globe,” the foundation explains on its website.
In 2022, for her 27th birthday, she announced the Pete & Thomas Foundation, which is named in honor of her parents. At this time, she disbursed grant money to fund cancer care, mental health, and food insecurity.
The foundation’s website shares that it has helped over 14,000 people throughout the past two years. This includes holiday give-back events for single mothers, as well as an Emergency Hardship Assistance Fund, which provides resources for Houston neighbors in need.
Pete also created an initiative called Hotties Helping, where her fans are able to search for volunteer opportunities across the country.
Before creating her foundation, in April 2020, Pete donated supplies, money, and tablets to residents of Park Manor Skilled Nursing Facility, to help senior citizens communicate with their loved ones during COVID-19 lockdowns.
She also donated $1.2 million to Bread of Life in 2020, which came from the proceeds of her “Savage Remix” with Beyoncé (also a Houston native).
This current disaster response certainly hits close to home for the “Mamushi” singer, but it’s clear her love for Houston will always be at the core of her philanthropic endeavors.
In 2022, when she was recognized by the city’s mayor for Megan Thee Stallion Day on May 2, she promised on Instagram: “I will continue to give back to the city that made me who I am today.”
Header image courtesy of Valerie Albert (CC BY 4.0)
