More Derecho Donations Than One Pickup Could Hold!

Donations Galore…AGAIN!

My phone began to blow up with MORE offers of derecho recovery donations to deliver to the folks in Cedar Rapids. And those offers were happening as we drove back from our FIRST delivery! (Read about THAT trip right HERE.)

Soon a steady stream of generous people began to parade up the street and into our driveway.

Please Note:

If I have omitted anyone’s name who donated to either of our derecho deliveries PLEASE…ACCEPT MY SINCERE APOLOGIES for that oversight!! It was hard to keep up with the steady stream of generous folks who stopped by with donations. But I promise your monetary donations were spent wisely…all on items that had been requested. And those items were purchased and delivered with love! ALL of your donations were GREATLY appreciated in Cedar Rapids!!!

Donations Rolled In!

First to stop by was good friend Barb with a box and bags of cleaning supplies.

She was soon followed by sweet Becky and her sandwich fixin’s…plus a whole lot more! (As I’m writing this blog post in October I’ve just learned that donations of bread, peanut butter and jelly are still very much needed and appreciated!)

Next up? Sara. (See that sweet smile behind her mask??)

Sweet Sara brought so many items we had to make more room on the table!

And Sara also brought cash! A generous donor named Linda sent that money and she asked me to buy requested items with it. About that same time my friend Jacque used Venmo to shoot MORE cash over to me. So that’s when my brain went into overdrive to come up with a safe way for me to shop for them…from home.

InstaCart and Aldi Curbside Service To MY Rescue!

Ever since the pandemic began I have been using InstaCart to buy my groceries. (My compromised lungs make in-person shopping too risky for me.) Back in March I had InstaCart drivers deliver them directly to my front door. But after Aldi began to offer curbside pickup I now simply place my InstaCart order and drive a mile to the store when my order is ready. So when Linda and Jacque’s donated cash ended up in my hand I realized it would be quite easy to pick out needed items and charge them to my account. Thus began my InstaCart shopping spree.

I simply plunked down in a lawn chair on the driveway and began to shop online…with my phone. (It was a beautiful day for that task!) 

When the “ready for pickup” text came through for that first order I jumped in the car and headed to Aldi. And the wonderful Aldi employee loaded those precious donations right into our car.

Here is just one of those cash donations…arranged on our driveway for a photo. Such a generous donation! Then it was time to clear the driveway and place another order.

Soon  another friend dropped by to hand me money.  Like Cheryl…

Our driveway chat was cut short when I got a text that my second grocery order was already finished and ready for pick up. You see, by THIS time the awesome Aldi crew knew what was happening. They knew my multiple orders were donations headed to derecho recovery efforts and they made sure my orders flew through in record time.

I didn’t have to risk my health by shopping and I didn’t have to bag or load all those goods into our car! I LOVE my Iowa City Aldi store crew! Now…if only they would have come home with me to UNLOAD all of it!  (Just kidding…I needed the exercise.)

So many boxes and bags…filled with gifts of LOVE from my friends and Dear Readers!

Here is Shirley…with MORE cash…and a smile to boot!

So another order flew through the InstaCart App.

And Sue stopped by…AGAIN…with even more donations!

Unfortunately I missed snapping a photo of Julie and Steve when they arrived with even more to add to the pile of treasure! And several friends (Julie and Vicki) let me know they were making their cash donations directly to the grassroots organization I was working with. (Details later on how YOU can still help.)

We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Pickup!

By that evening our garage was almost overflowing with donations.

Donations Piled Up As Friends STEPPED Up!

My friend Judy contacted me. (She had donated tons of items the FIRST time we filled the pickup.) Judy told me about her friend Barbara. She said Barbara also had a pickup if we need to use it too. I had told her that would be awesome. So Judy and Barbara and Barbara’s sister Ruth had started to fill THAT pickup at another location while we filled ours! What awesome, generous, kind, hard working folks!!

Bright and early the next morning Peepaw began the task of packing his truck. (30 years spent as a UPS driver still serve him well when it comes to making packages fit in a small space!)

He’s still a packing pro!

It took some effort but he made it all fit. Although I will admit to holding a few items on my lap for that trip. And if I remember correctly my feet were resting on some bottled water too.

Yup. It all fit like a glove. (A VERY SNUG glove!)

And right on time that Awesome Threesome pulled in…with ANOTHER pickup FULL OF LOVE.

That’s Barbara, Ruth and Judy to the rescue. And just take a look at THEIR stash!

Off We Go!

As soon as everything was tied down and secure in both trucks we started our drive to Cedar Rapids.  And the closer we got to the city the more damage we saw.

Billboards blown away…

Businesses damaged and many closed down…

Massive trees destroyed…

Damage everywhere!

Ongoing cleanup…

A monumental task that is still far from finished even now in October.

Sadly, a large portion of the tree canopy of Cedar Rapids has been destroyed. It will take decades (or longer) to recover. Or maybe it never will.

Our arrival at the distribution site was met with sincere appreciation by the volunteers who jumped right in to help unload both trucks.

They made short work of the unloading process.

It certainly took longer to pack those donations than it did to unload them!

And that’s when I was so happy to meet a real Cedar Rapids HERO in this derecho crisis…

Meet Raymond Siddell, the community organizer who has been the driving force behind this monumental grass roots recovery operation.

He has worked tirelessly around the clock ever since the derecho struck in August.

Let’s Take A Tour

Raymond and his cute little boy were quick to show us the donation site as our donations were being cataloged.

The huge warehouse was divided into zones to make “shopping” easier for the folks who need help.

It was an amazing hive of activity…and it is still sorely needed even now as I’m writing this in October!

Our hardy band of “disaster sisters” got together for just a moment to snap a photo and to thank Raymond and his team for everything they’re doing to help the residents of Cedar Rapids in this time of crisis. 

Donations And Volunteer Help Still Needed!

It was recently announced that the derecho that hit Iowa in August was THE MOST COSTLY THUNDERSTORM DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY! And unfortunately the crisis is FAR from over!

There are MANY people who still  have damaged homes or businesses and some  are even still without roofs! The local contractors simply can’t be everywhere at once to make the massive repairs that are still needed. Many building products are still in very short supply. And at least 300 people per day are still coming to the center for help! A winter coat and gloves drive is happening right now. And to top it off? As I’m writing this bog post on October 19th…IT IS ALREADY SNOWING HERE IN IOWA! (Thankfully it did melt the next day.)

Yes Dear Readers, it was an honor to help during that early recovery phase…but MUCH MORE can be done NOW! If YOU would like to volunteer in some way, or make a monetary donation or food or supplies PLEASE reach out to the Iowa Derecho Storm Resource Facebook page to see first hand what the current needs are. 

This informative article from KCRG in Cedar Rapids shares their interview with Raymond Siddell as he lays out the current needs in the recovery process. Click HERE to read it!

And once again…THANK YOU to ALL of you who reached out to me in SO MANY WAYS to help.

And let’s not forget the needs that continue…right here in the Heartland of America. 

Winter is coming.