Vance McDonald has had himself a few days.
After a weekend spent worrying about his family and friends dealing with Hurricane Harvey, the Houston-area native and Rice graduate was traded from the 49ers to the Steelers on Tuesday.
In a video for Fox Sports posted Wednesday, McDonald briefly talked about what the last week has been like and announced that he and his wife, Kendi, are raising funds for people affected by the flood.
It's been a whirlwind for Vance McDonald (@VMcDonald89). Hear from the new @steelers TE on the trade & his #HurricaneHarvey relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/Eh6Xwr95Fq
— FOX Sports: PROcast (@PROcast) August 30, 2017
McDonald said he’ll match up to $50,000 in donations to Convoy of Hope, which describes itself as “a faith-based, nonprofit organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches and disaster response.”
Based in Springfield, Mo., Charity of Hope has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for 14 consecutive years. On May 1, they were given a 96.45 score out of 100, with 89.7 percent of its more than $126 million in expenses headed to programs and services. Of the remaining expenses, according to Charity Navigator, 7.2 percent went to fundraising expenses and 3.0 went to administrative costs.
“They’re gonna make sure that the money that you donate and support, if you choose to do so, is gonna go to the right people and the right places,” McDonald said.
McDonald grew up in Winnie, about 80 miles east of Houston and 35 miles southwest of Beaumont on I-10. That area has been hit particularly hard by floodwaters, as a photo widely circulated on Wednesday and McDonald’s own Instagram both showed.
Interstate 10 at the Jefferson / Chambers county line. Waves with white caps on the interstate. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/GH79zIoQAk
— Dade Phelan (@DadePhelan) August 30, 2017
McDonald’s new team was off on Wednesday. In the video, he said he was “really excited to be a part of this unbelievable organization” and thanked 49ers fans for their support.
Sean Gentille: sgentille@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @seangentille.
First Published: August 30, 2017, 7:16 p.m.