AUSTIN — More than 6,600 inmates have donated $53,863 from their commissary funds to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Jason Clark, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman, said Tuesday that inmates, of their own volition, contributed to the American Red Cross. It may not seem like much amid the millions of dollars that have poured in from celebrities and everyday folks moved by the size of the storm's damage. But the money comes from the typically meager accounts that inmates use to purchase things like paper and pencils, personal hygiene items and food that isn't available in chow halls. The average donation was $8.

"It's just something they chose to do," Clark said.

Harvey hit close to home for thousands of inmates in Texas' sprawling criminal justice system. About 7,000 people from five prisons, three treatment centers and two halfway houses had to be evacuated, and hundreds of prison employees' homes were damaged or destroyed.

It's not the first time prisoners have pitched in to help following a natural disaster. The first time, Clark said, was after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana in 2005. Inmates also donated to victims of Hurricane Rita in Texas the same year.

Clark said inmates asked prison officials how they could help.

"They were requesting to donate money," he said.

Clark said inmates can contribute as little as $1 and as much as they'd like. And the donations don't count toward the inmates' spending limit of $95 every two weeks. Some inmates, he said, have donated hundreds of dollars.