I know that with all of the crazy news going on across the world right now, the horrible storm in Iowa didn’t get much national news coverage. They were hit with a derecho storm on August 10, which is essentially hurricane strength winds (over 100 mph) and rain as it rolled through the state.  You can see a little bit of the storm damage and see the devastation left behind in this ABC News story:

I grew up in Iowa and still have family and friends there.  Thankfully, none of them sustained major damage during the storm.  But many in that state are hurting, have lost their homes, schools and businesses and some are still without power (11 days after the storm).  As a result of the storm, at least 43% of the corn and soybeans grown in the state were lost.  Many farm families lost everything and are left with a huge mess to clean up prior to planting next spring.  Iowans generally pride themselves on being self-sufficient and lending a hand to others in need.  With so much destruction, they can really use our help!

Because I’m far away and I’m not able to be there to help out with the cleanup and rebuilding, I wanted to help out in some small way to get these families back in their homes and back on their feet.  I have a goal to donate at least $500 to the Iowa Giving Crew, a Cedar Rapids based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is helping to get power restored to those still waiting, is feeding those in need and volunteers 3 meals a day and is helping with the cleanup.  They have a Facebook page that you can see here with photos and details about the help that they are providing. Continue reading →