Mega entertainer and mogul Tyler Perry said he will donate $1 million to help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in wake of massive flooding in Texas.
In a video message on Facebook, Perry is also standing up for his longtime friend megachurch pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen. In fact, Tyler said he plans to give the first $250,000 to Osteen’s Lakewood Church to help buy supplies.
Perry, as well as Lakewood Church officials, said there were safety concerns during and immediately after the hurricane
Osteen was heavily criticized after reports that that he didn’t immediately open the church as a shelter for people fleeing rising storm waters, in turned out to be unprecendented flooding. His church is housed in what used to be an NBA arena.
Perry, who has family in Houston, said he recently spoke with Osteen and called Joel and Victoria Osteen “amazing people. There's no way they would lock people out of the church and not let people in for shelter.”
He said before people “run and judge” someone “you need to know the circumstances.”
Earlier this week, Osteen spoke with ABC’s “Good Morning America” and other media outlets in an attempt to do damage control, calling reports “totally not true.”
He said the church was serving as a collection point for supplies and a shelter for Houston residents. Lakewood Church is partnering with Samaritan's Purse and World Relief to offer aid.
Perry, who also had family in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, said he wanted to find the right charity to support. In the past, he said he had donated “millions and millions” of dollars only to discover later that the money was not getting to the people.
This time, he’s looking for “boots on the ground” groups and individuals who know what the needs are and how best to help.
Perry also announced that he would be donating another quarter million dollars to Beyoncé's pastor Rudy Rasmus.
