Matthew McConaughey surprised first responders of Hurricane Harvey in Texas on Sunday (28.10.18).
The ‘Gold’ actor posed for pictures with some of the "heroic men and women", who worked tirelessly on the front line to help aid victims of the devastating tropical cyclone, which killed 68 people and caused $125 billion in damage to properties in his home state in September 2017.
The 48-year-old star – who hails from Austin – told E! News: "I’m Texas born and raised, so acknowledging the hard work and dedication of first responders in Houston is meaningful to me personally.
"Over the past year alone with the hurricanes in Puerto Rico, the Carolinas and Florida and the fires in California, the number of heroic men and women on the front lines of natural disasters is staggering."
During his trip, which is part of Bourbon brand Wild Turkey’s ‘Wild Turkey Gives Back’ campaign, the ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ actor visited the Houston Fire Station, Police Department, Houston Emergency 911 Call Center and Ben Taub Hospital.
The Hollywood star was praised by the city’s Mayor Sylvester Turner for his efforts.
He wrote on Twitter: "Honored to welcome him to our city and thank him for spending time and recognizing our @houstonpolice, @HoustonFire, and 911 dispatchers for their service (sic)"
Matthew urged his fans to "keep giving" to the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts last year, despite newer disasters – such as Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria which struck Florida and the Caribbean – slowly pushing the destruction in Texas out of the headlines, as the star said the cause was just as important as ever.
He said: "You can sponsor a family that they rescued and is out of their home … up to a year. One hundred dollars a family member for one month. Just keep giving, just keep living and just get a Texas flag on it, because, as we all know, this will be back page news in the next month."
The ‘Interstellar’ actor and his wife Camila Alves – with whom he has three children, Levi, 10, Vida, eight, and Livingston, five – helped the relief effort themselves, through their Just Keep Livin’ charity.
Just Keep Livin’ sold an exclusive t-shirt designed to raise money for the victims of the hurricane, which featured the Texan flag alongside the words "just keep givin, just keep livin".