In a letter to the Texas Hill Country, the man said he was “praying for all of you affected by the floods and especially those little girls at Camp Mystic.”
KERR COUNTY, Texas — Support, prayers and donations have come from all over to the Texas Hill Country in the weeks since the July Fourth floods—even from those who don’t have very much of their own to give.
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country has been managing the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, which has raised over $60 million to help those impacted by natural disaster. Speaking to KENS 5 on Thursday, CEO Austin Dickson said the organization has also received thousands of letters from well-wishers and supporters this month.
The most surprising of those letters, Dickson said, came from an unexpected place: Sing Sing, a maximum-security prison in Ossining, New York, more than 1,800 miles away.
“He sent us not money, but a handwritten letter and four polo shirts,” Dickson said of the man who sent the letter and accompanying donation. “He felt like somebody needed a dry shirt in Kerrville. So he mailed those shirts to us.”
The man’s letter shows it was sent July 7, just three days after floods devastated Kerr County and other Central Texas communities. In it, he says he learned about the floods while watching the news and felt compelled to “offer what I can to any of the flood victims.”
“I’m sorry that I don’t have much,” he wrote, “but these are the best short-sleeve shirts that I own. I usually reserve them for visits or other special occasions, but you all might need them more than I do now. I’m praying for all of you affected by the floods, and especially for those little girls at camp Mystic.”
More than two dozen counselors and campers at the beloved Guadalupe River summer camp in Hunt, Texas, one of the hardest-hit communities the morning of July Fourth. As of Thursday evening, one camper remains missing.
“I am so sorry for your loss,” the man incarcerated at Sing Sing goes on to say in his letter. “I truly wish I could do more. May God bless you all with His peace and healing. He is a good God, even in, and especially in the tragic times.”
Officials in Kerr County say 108 bodies have been recovered there as search efforts continue. In addition to the Camp Mystic attendee, an adult man is also still missing.
To donate to the Flood Relief Fund, click here.