I heard the giggling before I saw what triggered the laughter. The happiness came from the dozen or so children sitting in a circle with Gene and Doris Tomas as they sorted a mountain of mismatched socks for Lamar CISD’s food and clothing pantry, Common Threads.

Doris and Gene were some of the hundreds of volunteers who came to Common Threads in the days after Hurricane Harvey to donate their time to help those affected by the storm.

Attack Poverty and Friends of North Richmond helped out some of the hardest hit homes in our community, and the work isn’t finished yet. Churches have organized work crews that are working seven days a week to help residents already struggling financially.

These organizations don’t just pop up when there’s a tragedy. They’re helping the neediest year round, from making sure children have shoes and school uniforms to providing diapers and formula to young parents.

Social media played a huge role in getting helpers to donation sites. Armies of volunteers would search on Twitter or Facebook to find a neighborhood or family in need and then arrive to do whatever they could to help. Groups formed online pages where people can search for places to volunteer and help out.

At Common Threads, parents with their children, teachers, businessmen and women, teens, athletes, coaches, retirees all came and found a way to give back. Every day, coaches and young athletes unloaded donations, delivered supplies to area hotels where displaced families were staying and volunteered for any job that needed to get done.

Firefighters and EMS personnel were busy 24/7. Businesses and churches donated hot food, water, supplies and money to relief funds. Most fanned out into the community to muck out houses, remove sheetrock and salvage as much as possible. Many of our business owners provided food for volunteer workers, even when their livelihoods were suffering.

For hours, people worked behind the scenes, making sure the power stayed on, the Internet lines kept us connected and supplies were delivered as soon as the roads were passable.

People not only donated food and clothing, but they donated their talents. Barbers and hair technicians cut hair at police stations and recovery sites, putting a bit of normalcy back into people’s lives. People with boats went from house to house during the worst part of the flood. Four-wheelers and ATVs drove through drenched neighborhoods, retrieving people who couldn’t navigate flooded streets.

Simonton and Valley Lodge were hard hit and over a dozen trucks were lined up near the entrance as volunteers fanned out and helped at homes for people they’d never met before. We were at a house in Simonton and the homeowners were removing ruined furniture and carpet. Two state troopers, one from another county, stopped and offered to help along with the young National Guardsmen riding with them. They quickly picked up the ruined living room furniture and deposited it at the curb, much to the relief of the exhausted homeowners.

So often, law enforcement personnel are criticized but, during the flood, they were pitching in to help wherever they were needed. House after house. Family after family. Neighborhood after neighborhood.

Those who weren’t flooded cleaned out closets and pantries to donate what they could. Young moms and retirees took in laundry, and bilingual folks helped displaced people get through the overwhelming mountain of paperwork required for financial aid.

This area was slammed by one of the worst hurricanes to ever make landfall. people worked together to make a positive difference in the midst of tragedy. It’s humbling and uplifting to watch prejudices disappear. White, Black, Asian, young, old, rich, poor – none of that mattered as volunteers all over southeast Texas stocked shelves, sorted clothing, gathered supplies and then delivered them with a smile to those in need.

No complaining. No racial barriers. Just people helping people. Volunteering brings out the best in people, the best they didn’t even know they had in their hearts.

The road ahead is long, so please continue giving and helping where needed. If you weren’t able to help out during the initial flood, don’t worry. Organizations are going to need volunteers for months, so please consider adding your name and muscle to the list. If you’re willing to give of your time and effort, there’s a place for you. Most of all, Fort Bend County, thank you for your incredible generosity, your gusty optimism and your willingness to start over, bigger and better than ever.

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.