Let’s Help Our Firefighters

When wildfires cause us to evacuate and move to safety, our volunteer firefighters answer the call to protect our lives and property. Now is the time for us to return the favor and assist our dedicated first responders. Today I joined members of the legislature to announce the Texas Firefighters Relief Fund.

This new fund will help properly equip our brave volunteer firefighters as they battle some of the worst wildfires to ever ravage Texas. We need to give back to those who put their lives on the line to shield us from harm. Helping our volunteer firefighters is critically important right now because the federal government has refused to grant our state a Major Disaster Declaration. You can see a portion of the press conference below and click here to make a donation.

Help Your Fellow Texans

High winds and hot temperatures have fueled 183 fires across the state in the past seven days, displacing more than 100 Texas families and scorching more than 400,000 acres. Since January, nearly 1 million acres have burned across the Lone Star State, according to the Texas Forest Service.

These raging wildfires are catastrophic in nature, destroying homes, killing livestock and devastating the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers who dedicate their lives to supplying us with food, clothing and other essential daily needs. As these fires sweep through rural Texas, fences are dismantled and cattle and other livestock are left to roam. Today, I saw that devastation firsthand through an aerial and ground tour of the area.

And now I’m asking all Texans to help me help our fellow Texans by making a donation to the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, or STAR Fund. I created this fund to collect monetary contributions from private individuals and entities to assist farmers and ranchers in responding to and recovering from an emergency. The STAR Fund may be used to rebuild fences, restore operations and pay for other agricultural relief efforts.

We are Texans, and when disaster strikes, our citizens rise to meet the challenge. I ask all Texans who have the means to assist their neighbors in need to please come forward and show their support. To make a monetary donation to the STAR Fund, visit www.TexasAgriculture.gov and click on STAR Fund under Most Popular Links.