Hutchinson, Kan.—The United Way of Reno County, in partnership with the Reno County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), has fully launched fundraising efforts to help the Plevna and Reno County residents recover from the recent tornado—and they are asking for the community’s help to raise $250,000.
“Due to the size and scope of this tornado, disaster funding will unfortunately not be available from state or federal sources,” said Adam Weishaar, Director of Emergency Management for Reno County. “That means we will need to support these families and individuals through local efforts,” he added.
Per VOAD protocols, donations made to United Way Reno County’s Plevna Disaster Fund will help to first ensure affected residents have their basic needs met (like access to food, clean water and electricity). Following those efforts, donations will then be used to make sure that each primary residence is safe and livable.
“We know there are a lot of avenues to support our friends who were devastated last weekend,” said Lacey Mills, UWRC CEO. “We want to be sure that our community understands when United Way is raising funds in a disaster moment, 100% of every donation is used on recovery efforts. United Way does not retain any portion of those funds,” she stated.
“United Way and VOAD are committed to walking alongside these community members long-term,” Mills said. “We know that full recovery after total devastation takes significant time. We are here for the long haul.”
In addition to giving directly to UWRC’s Disaster Fund, another opportunity for the community to support recovery efforts is to attend the upcoming “Party for Plevna” at Sandhills Brewing on Friday, May 30th.
Local band, “Bluez Warning” will play from 7 pm- 9 pm, and “Whatever’s Cookin’”, a local food truck will be on-site ready for service beginning at 5 pm. Donations raised during the event, along with a portion of sales, will be donated to the UWRC Disaster Fund.
To make a gift, the public is encouraged to visit: https://www.unitedwayofrenocounty.org/disaster.