United for Storm Relief

211 Crisis Response Activation

Our 211 Navigation Center stands at-the-ready daily and quickly moved into crisis response mode following the May 16 tornado.  Early weather reports, on-going readiness and strategic planning allowed us to swiftly connect individuals to shelters, hotels, and essential resources within hours of the storm when access to homes was no longer possible. As the region’s 24/7 Helpline, United Way’s 211 crisis response center remains a primary hub for neighbors affected by the storm.  Information gathered through 211 disaster intake is also vital for assessing the disaster’s severity, assisting responding emergency management agencies, and ensuring tailored responses to unique challenges as every disaster is different.

Centralized Coordination for Maximum Impact

United Way plays a critical role in both immediate and long-term disaster recovery efforts. Within 24 hours of the tornado, we helped initiate daily coordination calls with Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), engaging with vital nonprofit partners such as the American Red Cross of Greater St. Louis, The Salvation Army of Greater St. Louis, and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, among others. We also began daily connections with the mayor’s office, Office of Recovery, Missouri State Emergency Management (SEMA), numerous emergency response offices and meetings convened by Regional Business Council (RBC), Greater St. Louis Inc, Ameren Missouri and other companies to offer our expertise and infrastructure.

These collaborative meetings proved essential to identify, coordinate and address emerging needs like debris removal, spontaneous volunteer mobilization, clean up, supplies, food and emergency shelter.

Focused Volunteer Deployment

Following the devastating tornado on May 16th, the UWGSL Volunteer Center quickly mobilized to coordinate the region’s volunteer response. Leveraging STLVolunteer.org—which connects the community to volunteer opportunities at organizations across our region—the Volunteer Center launched a Virtual Volunteer Reception Center to serve as a centralized hub for disaster-related efforts. This virtual platform enabled individuals, companies, and organizations to engage safely and effectively in recovery work. The Volunteer Center helped ensure volunteers were deployed strategically—initially collecting interest while safety assessments were completed, and then supporting recovery efforts like debris removal, roof tarping, and supply distribution. To date, we have connected over 7,000 volunteers to engage in storm-related service across the region. In addition to hands-on volunteer work, the Volunteer Center has also helped facilitate supply donation drives and in-kind support from civic groups and businesses.

As the region transitions into long-term recovery, the Volunteer Center continues to lead in coordinating volunteerism across sectors. Seventeen new nonprofit partners have joined STLVolunteer.org, broadening the capacity to respond to needs. The Volunteer Center actively collaborates with state and local agencies to align efforts. To further strengthen the regional recovery strategy, the Volunteer Center Director now chairs the Volunteerism Subcommittee of the long-term recovery group, helping guide a sustainable, community-driven approach to service.

Fundraising to Fuel Our Region’s Response

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, United Way activated its Storm Relief Fund. Every dollar raised through this initiative directly supported centralized food, shelter, and cleanup efforts administered by our disaster-related partners across the region.

The United Way of Greater St. Louis initially invested over $2.28 million in disaster recovery funding to support 13 nonprofits on the frontlines. This targeted investment, combined with ongoing monthly funding of more than $329,000, supported American Red Cross, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Salvation Army, St. Louis Area Food Bank, Operation Food Search, Peter & Paul Community Services, and responding grassroots organizations.

Additionally, Currency of Caring provided thousands of hot meals through food truck services for over a month to neighborhoods affected by the storm. We are grateful to our nonprofit partners ensuring long-term food resources, including the St. Louis Area Food Bank and Operation Food Search. Early donations also allowed United Way to secure essential supplies like tarps, nails, and lumber to facilitate immediate repair efforts at centralized disaster hubs.

In May 2026, UWGSL announced United For Strom Recovery, committing an additional targeted investment of $1.3 million to address ongoing and emerging needs and ensure more residents can access the support they need.

United Way is also serving as a fiscal agent for the City of St. Louis, administering $9.4 million, with more than $8 million already deployed to support reimbursement for responding agencies, as well as disaster case management, resiliency centers, legal, and mental health services.

Corporate Partners United

Numerous companies have joined forces with United Way to address urgent community needs by deploying small and large teams of volunteers. Their contributions have varied, including hosting supply drives, clearing debris, tarping roofs, and assisting with feeding, sheltering, and wellness checks.

Many employers have also integrated disaster-related volunteer opportunities into their formal corporate social responsibility strategies, aligning with our Volunteer Center’s coordinated efforts to ensure corporate partners are engaged where the need is greatest.

Thank You To Our Partners (see list)

Thank you,

All-State Foundation
Ameren
American Metal Supply
Anheuser-Busch
Annata LLC
ArchBridge Family Office
Armanino
Associated Bank
AT&T Missouri
Bank of America
Bayer
Build-A-Bear Foundation
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Building and Construction Trades Council
Busey Bank
Cass Charitable Foundation
Charleville Tavern, LLC
Christmas Wonderland Inc.
City of St. Louis
Clever Little Girl Foundation
Edward Jones
Emerson
Enterprise Mobility Foundation
Essence Healthcare
Evernorth Health Services
First State Bank
FSI
Gateway Lodge No 40 A.F. & A.M.
General Dynamitcs Information Technology, Inc
Glik’s
Goldstein Group/Alter Trading Corp.
Graybar Foundation
HBM Holdings
Hunter Engineering

ICD Operations, LLC
Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation
James McDonnell Foundation
JMG Foundation
Julian I. & Hope R. Edison Foundation
Kaldi’s Holding LLC
KPMG
KSDK 5 On Your Side
LS Power Development
Metro Boomin
MICDS
Mississippi Lime
Missouri Hospital Association
Moneta
Nestle Purina PetCare Company
Ohm Group
Post Holdings, Inc
Potthoff Family Foundation
Prufrock Foundation
Regional Business Council
Regions Foundation
RubinBrown
San Tech Holdings Ltd
Spire
SquareUp.com
St. Johns Bank & Trust Company
St. Louis Community Foundation
St. Louis Magazine
Steward Family Foundation
Teamsters Local Union No. 6
The Cigna Group Foundation
Treadway Family Giving Fund
We Care by Zyn
William S Blair Y Thompson Family Foundation
World Wide Technology Foundation

United Way’s May 16 Response by the Numbers

• 211 has assisted 3,207 neighbors needing disaster assistance and completed 2,322 disaster intakes, linking survivors to critical services for food, debris clean up, emergency shelter and more
• Provided 100+ hours of expert coordination services at the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
• Co-led more than 50 coordination calls with disaster responding agencies and partners statewide
• Supported 42 requests for assistance through existing employee hardship funds totaling $39,357
• Managed Ameren’s $200k Tornado Relief Fund, issuing $63,510 to 206 households to date
• Partnered with AirBnB, the Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross to temporarily house 15 displaced families for 28 days in Airbnb rentals free of charge and connected them with long-term case management to house them after their initial placement
• Partnered with Uber to deploy $300,000 in ride credits to ensure survivors were able to travel to and from the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) over a 3-week period at Chaifetz Arena
• Deployed over $2.28 million to United Way Disaster responding safety net agencies and beyond including American Red Cross, Urban League, Salvation Army, Peter and Paul, St. Louis Area Foodbank and more to support their emergency operations and sustainability
• Committed an additional targeted investment of $1.3 million to address ongoing and emerging needs and ensure more residents can access the support they need
• Mobilized and deployed over 7,000 volunteers into disaster focused efforts, offering essential support across the region
• Managed Food Truck donations and deployment resulting in the delivery of 57,112 meals to the impacted zones in partnership with the Currency of Caring Food Network
• Regina Greer, Chief Impact Officer, is co-leading the Long-term Recovery efforts for the St. Louis City/County COAD – Community Organizations Active in Disaster

Recovering from such extensive devastation is an ongoing process requiring long-term commitment. While the challenges ahead and limited resources may seem intimidating, United Way of Greater St. Louis and our partners are dedicated to being here for our community when it matters most. We will remain focused and steadfast doing all we can to help our neighbors navigate challenges and obstacles ahead. 

The community’s unwavering support for our mission to help individuals live their best possible lives through time, talent, and resources year-round is what enables us to respond effectively and efficiently to ongoing needs.

Thank you for standing united with us.