Giving back in a huge way. Back in August, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, and many other of their famous Texas friends and artists took the stage at the Moody Center in Austin for a star-studded benefit concert called Band Together Texas, which benefited The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, the leading charity behind the ongoing flood relief efforts, and Central Texas Community Foundation. Of course, South-central Texas was ravaged by flash flooding over the 4th of July weekend over the summer, and over 130 people lost their lives in the Texas Hill Country region. The Guadalupe River rose dramatically due to torrential rainfall, leading to widespread flooding, and a significant number of the fatalities occurred in Kerr County. The devastation has been unimaginable, and while nothing will be able to replace the loved ones who lost their lives, it does bring hope to know that people are so willing to step up during a time of great need. They raised over $8.5 MILLION and counting to benefit The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country and Central Texas Community Foundation, and now, the money is being distributed to their partners in order to help support local communities. The Central Texas Community Foundation will receive $8 million, including a $1 million allocation to the Concho County Community Foundation, while the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country will receive more than $650,000, with resources designated to Habitat for Humanity’s “Home for the Holidays” initiative. Of course, the worry with massive fundraisers like this is that the money won’t end up exactly where it needs to be, but Miranda says they’ve “worked closely” with state officials to ensure every penny is going to the places and people that need it most: “These funds are more than numbers – they’re lifelines for families still recovering from this year’s floods. We worked closely with state officials and local partners to identify where the need is greatest and ensure that every dollar supports meaningful recovery.” Parker adds that it’s been an “amazing” experience to see Texans, and even people outside of the Lone Star State, step up for people who have lost everything: “It has been amazing to see Texans, and even folks outside of Texas, come together in such a huge way. The money raised will go a long way in helping our home recover.” Their distribution plan prioritizes counties hardest hit by flooding, and the money will go towards funding programs that address housing, infrastructure and community revitalization. In addition to Parker and Miranda headlining the event, tons of their fellow, very talented Texans made appearances at the benefit, including Ryan Bingham, Wade Bowen, Ronnie Dunn, Dylan Gossett, Jack Ingram, Cody Johnson, Lyle Lovett, Lukas Nelson, Jon Randall and Randy Rogers, plus honorary Texan for the night Jason Aldean. In addition, Matthew McConaughey and Dennis Quaid; former UT Longhorns coach Mack Brown and players Emmanuel Acho, Colt McCoy and Vince Young; MLB star and Houston native Roger Clemens; television host and Dallas native Chris Harrison; and fashion designer Kendra Scott all made appearances as well. From Cody Johnson’s gorgeous acoustic rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” to Lukas Nelson and Pat Green’s duet of “Waltz Across Texas” and Wade Bowen’s emotional performance of “A Beautiful World,” there were so many amazing moments, and I’ll leave you with Ronnie Dunn’s beautiful performance of “Believe”: CoJo’s rendition of “How Great Thou Art” is perfect: The post Miranda Lambert & Parker McCollum Reflect On ‘Band Together Texas’ Benefit Concert That Raised Over $8.5 Million For Flood Relief first appeared on Whiskey Riff.