If you would like to respond to the tornado tragedy in Kentucky, The Anglican Relief & Development Fund (ARDF) has provided information and a way to help here. The Rev. Jake Stum shares below how the destruction literally happened close to where he grew up.
Western Kentucky
Dear ARDF friends and family,
We, at ARDF, are always happy to respond when disaster strikes, but this time it is close to home (quite literally) for me. I grew up in Madisonville, KY and have deep roots there. The next town over is Dawson Springs, KY. This is a community that was 75% devastated by the tornado.
The destruction of towns like Dawson Springs and Mayfield, KY is quite unbelievable. You have likely seen the photos in the news. The amount of need is overwhelming and the recovery efforts will take years – and a considerable amount of resources.
In this particular case, we do not have any Anglican congregations in the affected areas. With this in mind, we are partnering with three trusted organizations to help with recovery. In Mayfield, we will work with the North American Lutheran Church disaster response team. They are one of our long-time partners and are already on site.
In Dawson Springs, we will partner with Men and Women of Action and Covenant Community Church. Many years ago, I actually helped plant Covenant Community! I love this church deeply.
The first wave of response is to help with emergency resources (water, shelter, food, gasoline) and support these organizations mobilize their equipment to the site. In a few weeks we will have a better picture of longer-term needs and also will be able to determine what type of manpower is needed.
We need your help. Please consider giving. Donate now to our Joseph Fund, where we are currently accepting funds for tornado relief.
Many thanks,
Jake
