The May 16th storms marked the start of one of the most challenging periods in our region’s recent history. Homes and businesses were destroyed, lives were upended, thousands of people went without electricity for weeks, and some didn’t survive.
The devastation left many of our neighbors not knowing what to do or who to turn to for help. United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL) launched a Storm Relief Fund and within the first week, due to the generosity of our community, $350,000 was allocated to several of our safety net of nonprofit partner agencies who were on the frontlines of recovery efforts in the aftermath of the storm.
Agencies like Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Catholic Charities of St. Louis, Salvation Army of Greater Metropolitan St. Louis, American Red Cross of Greater St. Louis, and others have answered the call to unite with us during this unprecedented time.
The strength of the safety net is why we stand ready to uplift our community during times of crisis. Several of them have helped our neighbors get access to food, toiletries, shelter, and other necessities. Working together, we continue to help our neighbors move closer to stability.
“What makes St. Louis so special is that we have a large number of nonprofits that are partners of United Way who stand ready to prepare for times of disaster, and Catholic Charities is proud to be one of those organizations,” said Brian Thouvenot, Chief Impact Officer for Catholic Charities of St. Louis.
Our nonprofit partners are pillars of the community, but they often have to overcome internal struggles to meet the needs of the community. Urban League’s properties and their staff suffered substantial personal loss as a result of the storm. The windows and roofs of their headquarters and strip mall were severely damaged, and collapsed poles destroyed the cars of several staff members.
Despite these obstacles, Urban League remained focused on helping the greater good of the community.
“We looked beyond our needs and looked at the needs of the people in the neighborhood,” said James Clark, Vice President of Public Safety and Community Response for Urban League. “The very next morning, we loaded up food, water and toiletries, and we began to go out and do household assessments and we probably assessed about 535 homes. Then we knew it was time to pivot and do large scale food distributions – we have seen anywhere from 2,800 to 3,100 people on each Saturday that we’ve done it.”
Following the storm, several other nonprofit partners have joined in efforts to activate food drives, shelters for the unhoused, debris cleanup and removal, roofing and carpentry for damaged homes, and much more.
UWGSL’s support throughout this process has helped partners like American Red Cross fulfill its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
“The funding that we receive from United Way as a safety net agency allows us to make sure we can be prepared for these types of disasters,” said Barry Falke, Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Missouri and Arkansas Region. “United Way is empowering us to do the work that we are doing right now and will continue to do in the weeks to come.”
In the immediate moments after a disaster, neighbors also need emotional and psychological support. A horrific event like this not only causes the loss of material things, but it can also breed mental and emotional trauma. With empathy and compassion, The Salvation Army give our neighbors in need an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on.
“We have been providing emotional and spiritual care, which we are uniquely positioned to provide since The Salvation Army is a church that provides social ministry through social services,” said Lakeysha Fields, Associate Divisional and St. Louis Regional Social Services Director for The Salvation Army. “People are devastated, and it’s not all about receiving a meal, sometimes people need a meal and a hug, or letting them talk about what they’re feeling and what they’re going through.”
UWGSL has deployed vital services to help our nonprofit partners advance their material and emotional support resources. Our 211 team has received over 2,000 disaster intake forms and will continue to submit them to our partners, which helps direct assistance and resources to those who need it most. We have also connected more than 5,000unique and repeat volunteers to disaster related opportunities through STLVolunteer.org/disaster.
Additionally, we have also launched our Storm Relief Fund at Helpingpeople.org/stormrelief to help meet immediate and long-term needs in the aftermath of the storm.
The power of united impact is especially crucial during this pivotal time in our region’s history, and the solidarity between UWGSL and our nonprofit partners will help our neighbors in need overcome setbacks and look to a brighter future. UWGSL is grateful for our community members who have stepped up to answer the call to serve during this recovery process, and we need people to continue to donate and volunteer to help those who have been impacted.
In the midst of an unprecedented crisis, the resolve of our St. Louis community remains strong. United we will rebuild, grow and continue our mission to help people live their best possible lives.
“This is easily my proudest moment as a St. Louis resident,” said James. “We’ve celebrated many World Series wins, we’ve celebrated a Stanley Cup championship, we’ve celebrated a Superbowl victory. But I can say on no uncertain terms that I have never been as proud of St. Louis as I have been during this.”
Take action now:
- Learn more about why a strong nonprofit safety net is key to our region’s health.
- See our safety net of 160 nonprofit partners.
- Share this story with family and friends.
