“We have a deep passion for the Panhandle and west Texas region and felt it was necessary to do what we could to provide support to a much needed cause,” CEO and co-founder Brian Wysong said in an email to Community Impact.
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The purchase window closed March 18 with more than 600 shirts sold, Wysong said.
The estimated $10,000 generated will go to the State of Texas Agriculture Relief (STAR) Fund, which aids farmers and ranchers who were impacted by the fires.
Wysong said sending money to the STAR Fund ensures it will be distributed to the people who need it. A $10,000 donation might go to just one farmer as equipment, such as tractors, can be expensive, he said.
“It's going to help aid farmers and ranchers in the Panhandle that have lost their land and they're going to need funds to get back on their feet and to hopefully be able to make a living to take care of their family,” Wysong said.
Damage to the Panhandle farmland will hurt the entire state, not just the landowners and their families, Wysong said.
“It's going to play a major impact not only on those farmers and ranchers, but on the whole state of Texas and our food supply chain as a whole,” Wysong said.
Diving deeper
The shirt itself was designed by Tumbleweed TexStyles staff and the members of west Texas band The Panhandlers.
The band’s four members—Josh Abbott, Cleto Cordero, John Baumann and William Clark Green—are household names in west Texas and personal friends, Wysong said.
“It’s been really exciting to, of course, partner with the Panhandlers, which is a great opportunity for us, but even more so to join forces with so many people all around the country and the state of Texas to try to raise money one T-shirt at a time to support people and ranchers and farmers in need,” Wysong said.
Going forward
The shirts are expected to be shipped out to buyers starting April 1, according to Tumbleweed TexStyles’ website.
“The quicker we get these [shirts] out the quicker I can get that check to the state of Texas to hopefully get those farmers help immediately,” Wysong said.
Additional donation opportunities can be found at www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/texas.
