This year The Today Show Lend a Hand program helped five great causes.  Al Roker went on the road to help organizations around the country:

• A Chance for Children Foundation, Los Angeles, California
• Portland Parks Foundation, Portland, Oregon
• Help4Galveston, Galveston, Texas
• Arkansas Rice Depot, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Community School of the Arts, Charlotte, North Carolina

On Day 3 the program helped people in my home state of Texas who were devastated by Hurricane Ike in October of last year. In fact this was the largest day of donations in the history of the Today Show’s Lend a Hand program: $540,652 in goods, services and financial gifts to Help4Galveston.

Donations came from Lowes, Ethan allen global, Home Depot, Energizer, John deere, JCPenney, Lutron Lighting Control, GE, Moen, Glidden, Crazy 8, LG, Scholastic, Swiffer, Sara Lee, Mr. Clean, Oral B, Office Depot, Weber Grills, Penske, and Pergo.

Here is the video of this great day of sharing: