Here's everything athletes and teams are doing to help victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston

Athletes are rising to the occasion in the wake of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of Houston. The city’s emergency response has been overloaded and it’s difficult to get calls through, families remained trapped in their houses, and for others lucky enough to escape, they don’t know what their neighborhoods will look like when they’re able to return.

There are a great many charities you can support to help efforts in Houston. We’ve compiled a list of the major national and local organizations leading efforts. In addition, here are what athletes are doing in the area to assist.

Charities

J.J. Watt

The Texans defensive end began a page on YouCaring to raise money for the victims. He initially set a $500,000 goal, which was quickly eclipsed. At this time it has raised over $32 million, including a $100,000 donation from Watt himself, and a $50,000 from Chris Paul.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Struck also donated $1 million to Watt’s efforts to help Houston.

Broncos players and the Broncos organization

Houston native Emmanuel Sanders spearheaded a $87,500 donation from Broncos players, an amount that was matched by the team.

“We could not be more proud of Emmanuel Sanders and his teammates for stepping up and taking the initiative to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Broncos President and CEO Joe Ellis said.

Texans owner Bob McNair and the NFL

The owner of the Houston Texans has pledged $1 million to assist relief efforts with a donation to the United Way of Greater Houston Flood Relief Fund. The NFL announced it would match McNair’s donation to assist.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke

Stan Kroenke and his family donated $1 million to the Red Cross for relief efforts.

"Our family’s thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Harvey,” Ann Walton Kroenke, Stan’s wife, said.

Mike Trout

The Angels All-Star is donating $27,000, based on his jersey number to relief efforts.

Houston Astros

The Astros have donated $4 million to efforts in the area. Owner Jim Crane released the following statement.

"We are committed to doing our part to provide aid and assistance to the thousands of Houston-area residents that are desperately in need right now," Crane stated. "We encourage others in our region and beyond to help out in any way that they can."

They have also partnered with MLB to donate all parking, concessions, and ticket revenue from this weekend’s three-game series against the Rangers to relief efforts.

Ezekiel Elliott

The Cowboys running back is challenging people to donate. He kicked things off with a $21,000 dollar donation, in recognition of his jersey number.

Money went to The Salvation Army, and he’s asking fans to take part by donating in variants of his number as well.

Houston Rockets

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander initially pledged $4 million to relief, matching the Astros’ donation — but upped that on Tuesday to $10 million. The team’s initial statement said:

"Out hearts are heavy seeing the devastation that so many of our friends, family and neighbors are experiencing," the Rockets said in a statement. "Leslie Alexander has contributed $4 million to Mayor Sylvester Turner's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund in an effort to help Clutch City come back stronger than ever. Please stay safe, Houston."

Matt Carpenter

The Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter is pledging $10,000 for every home run he hits for the rest of the season, and will send it towards relief efforts in Houston.

Scott Kazmir

Scott Kazmir, who currently plays for the Dodgers but was raised in Houston, is contributing to multiple organizations. Kazmir is donating $10k each to the Houston SPCA, the Coalition for Homeless, and the Houston Food Bank.

In addition, he is sending $100k to the Bayou City Fellowship.

The Rock

Dwayne Johnson took up Kevin Hart’s “Hurrican Harvey Challenge” by donating $25,000, with additional donations to come from Johnson’s different companies. He also sent a message to people displaced by the storm.

Leonard Fournette

The new Jacksonville Jaguars running back was 10 years old when Hurricane Katrina ripped through his home town of New Orleans. So he knows exactly what kind of devastation that can cause and donated $50,000 to the relief efforts.

The NHL

The National Hockey League and their players’ association are donating $200,000 to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. The NHL’s closest team, the Dallas Stars, play 240 miles away from Houston. The money donated will support relief efforts in Houston.

Jay Bruce

Cleveland Indian Jay Bruce, a Beaumont native, and his wife Hannah are matching donations up to $100,000 towards Harvey relief through September 10th to help Southeast Texas communities.

So far, fans have contributed $18,000 to Cleveland Indians Charities which is all going towards hurricane-related aid in Texas through the same date in Texas. A quick look at Bruce’s social media reveals how important these efforts are for him.

Zach Bogosian

The Buffalo Sabres defenseman is using his own charity, The Bogo Bunch Foundation, to raise money for the Houston Food Bank.

Direct assistance.

Clint Capela

The Rockets forward was trying to use his social media following to directly link trapped people in need of aid with first responders. Many in Houston reported difficulty getting calls through jammed 911 lines, so Capela asked for people trapped in the area to tweet at him, which he would then amplify.

Capela has been tirelessly re-tweeting messages, pulling calls of distress from Facebook and trying to link people up with responders. In addition, he’s received numerous volunteers with boats who are willing to help rescue stranded families, and he is amplifying their messages too.

Gerald Green

Green put out the call on Monday that he needed assistance. The NBA player and Houston native was driving around the area in his truck, and asked for anyone with a boat to contact him so they could assist families stranded.

Since this post there have not been any updates as to whether Green was successful.

The Tampa Bay Rays

The Astros and Rangers will play their three-game series this week in St. Petersburg at Tropicana Field instead of in Houston. The Rays decided to do more than just allow the two Texas teams to use their facilities:

Kelvin Sampson and Todd Whitting

University of Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson challenged the basketball community to pitch in and donate shirts and shoes to those in need. This week starts school for many affected communities and his call for donations aims to provide clothing for those who lost everything in the floods.

Offers and shipments are already rolling in, and baseball coach Todd Whitting put out the same challenge to the collegiate baseball community as well.

Whitting’s thread has already elicited many replies from teams getting involved.

Max Scherzer

Scherzer and his wife Erica are helping in a way that doesn’t seem like an obvious need at first. Some animals that have been rescued from the Houston area are being relocated to Washington D.C. and the Humane Rescue Alliance needs to make room for the incoming rescues.

To achieve their goal of making space, they are asking people to come adopt the current animals living at the shelters. In order to make this as easy as possible for anyone who is thinking about adopting, the Scherzers are covering all adoption fees until the end of the weekend.

With 100 animals currently up for adoption, the total amount covered could easily reach $2-3,000.

If you are able to help please consider donating to one of these charities who are assisting in the cleanup of Houston.