MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — The suffering in Texas after a strong winter storm has been well-documented on social media. When Tennessee TikTokuser Chris Wieland saw what people were losing he put out a call for action.
"We need your help," Chris Wieland said in a TikTok video. "My Cash App is in the bio. If everyone can donate $1.00 we can go down there and change a lot of people's lives."
Wieland reached many of his almost 99,000 followers. The group raised $7,000 between Thursday and Saturday.
"All that credit goes to the followers of TikTok," Wieland said.
Wieland drove 14 hours from Murfreesboro to Killeen, Texas on Saturday. He packed his pickup truck and trailer with cases of water, wipes, baby formula and snacks and headed for people affected by the storm.
"I know there was a lot of major cities that this impacted, but for some reason I kept seeing Killeen on TikTok. The people on TikTok posting no water, frozen pipes, their ceilings had caved in, their houses were flooded, and that's what drove me to Killeen."
Wieland would like to go back with more donations, especially if he is supported in the same way.
"It doesn't matter what you're doing. If you can get other people to follow that example in a positive way... before you know it there's a whole community doing it," he said.
