Houston family turns home into shelter, welcoming 16 people and 7 pets
Thousands of Texans have been displaced by Tropical Storm Harvey, and 16 of them found shelter inside the home of a stranger.
Nicole Richert, a Baptist children's pastor, was driving past a Shell gas station in the Cypress community Monday at noon when she saw several people gathered, trying to stay dry, The Houston Chronicle reports. She pulled over, and decided then and there to open her doors to those in need. "There was no place where they could go," Richert said. She made several trips back and forth from the gas station to her home, ultimately welcoming 16 people and seven dogs, including a dachshund and her new puppies.
She cooked up a big dinner of chili and cornbread for her house guests, including a few older couples and families with children, and then set up sleeping areas around her home. "They were all complete strangers to Nicole, but Nicole shows all the best character traits of Texas hospitality and Christian love," friend Kevin McGown told the Chronicle.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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