Key Takeaways

• Keith Lee and Tyrese Haliburton donated a combined $30,000 in aid to support Gary, Indiana's recovery after nearly two weeks without power.
• Local, state and federal organizations and agencies, including The Salvation Army and the National Guard, are coordinating ongoing relief efforts as restoration continues.
• Gary’s mayor and state leaders emphasize resilience while demanding urgent solutions and greater corporate accountability.

Keith Lee and Tyrese Haliburton are putting their money — and time — behind Gary, Indiana, as thousands of residents continue picking up the pieces from devastating storms.

On Monday (Aug. 24), the food critic and the Indiana Pacers star joined The Salvation Army and local partners for a relief effort at Roosevelt City Pavilion, where food and essential supplies are being distributed to residents.

According to The Guardian, Lee donated $15,000 toward relief supplies for Gary residents, and Haliburton added another $15,000, bringing the total to $30,000. “Tyrese Haliburton found out what we [were] doing, and he matching our contributions,” Lee shared in a recent Instagram video.

According to The Salvation Army, families are receiving cleanup kits stocked with items such as disinfectant, laundry and dish detergent, gloves, sponges and mops. The organization has also been providing food, social services and other assistance across communities affected by the storms.

Majority-Black Gary remains hardest hit by Northwest Indiana power outages

The Aug. 11 storms brought powerful winds to Northwest Indiana, knocking trees onto power lines and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity at the height of the outages, per NPR. Gary, Portage, Lake Station and Munster were among the communities affected.

While power has steadily returned across the region, Gary has remained one of the hardest-hit areas. ABC7 Chicago reported that more than 11,000 NIPSCO customers were still without power, with most outages in the majority-Black city. Restoration in Gary and Portage is expected by Tuesday (Aug. 25) night.

The prolonged recovery has also drawn scrutiny from state officials. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has reportedly called for an investigation into NIPSCO's response, saying the utility “failed to keep its end of the bargain.” The National Guard has also been activated to assist recovery efforts, while a federal emergency declaration opened the door for FEMA assistance.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton says residents have waited too long without power

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton hasn't held back about his frustration with the pace of restoration. “We’re at day 12, and 12 days is too long for families to be without power,” Melton said, per The Guardian. “Twelve days is too long for parents to worry about their children, and for businesses to lose revenue, and for families to wonder when the relief is finally going to come. Today, I want the people of Gary to know this. I want you to know that I share their frustration.”

Still, Melton stressed that the city is moving forward: “Gary has always been a resilient city. We’ve always overcome challenges before, and we’ll overcome this one as well. The lights are coming back on, neighborhood by neighborhood.”

He added, “Resources continue to arrive to our city. Neighbors continue to help neighbors until every family is taken care of. We will not stop pushing, and we will not stop fighting for the people of the city of Gary.”

As the city continues to recover, Lee and Haliburton are making sure residents know they aren’t going through it alone.