MAYFIELD, Ky., Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Homes and Hope for Kentucky Inc., operating under the umbrella of Rotary International and the non-profit Mayfield Rotary Foundation, has set a goal to build new homes for 100 Mayfield residents who lost everything from a historic category F4 tornado that decimated the city on Dec. 10. The fund has just launched with seed money of $100,000 from an anonymous donor, but millions of dollars are still needed in order to get the job done.
"We know we can't bring back our historic main street, the courthouse, or the beautiful old churches - all destroyed in this storm. But we can bring new homes and new hope to people who've lost everything right before Christmas."
Heather Nesler, Co-chair
Homes and Hope for Kentucky
190 mile-an-hour winds leveled large swaths of Mayfield, Kentucky, killing more than two dozen people and hospitalizing many others. Property damage is equally devastating: 250 homes and businesses were destroyed and another 370 have major damage. The downtown core is unrecognizable - a major blow to a town with a median household income only half that of the national average.
Many agencies and organizations are on the ground providing immediate food, water, supplies, and short-term shelter. Homes and Hope for Kentucky (HHK) has a different mission: to assure the long-term recovery and sustainability of this small southwestern Kentucky community, population 10,000.
"We know we can't bring back our historic main street, the courthouse, or the beautiful old churches, all destroyed in this storm. But we can bring new homes and new hope to people who've lost everything right before Christmas," said Homes and Hope for Kentucky Co-Chair, Heather Nesler.
To that end, HHK is partnering with charitable volunteer organizations like Mennonite Disaster Service, a faith-based initiative headquartered in Pennsylvania that has been repairing and rebuilding homes in disaster zones for more than 70 years. Specifically geared to assist families with little or no insurance (and therefore no ability to rebuild on their own), the fund is appealing to the general public, nationwide, to send tax-deductible donations to help pay for the cost of essential household appliances and building materials. Mennonite Disaster Service, a network of self-funded volunteers, will provide free labor in a model that has helped other communities recover from natural disasters - such as the victims of catastrophic flooding in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and those who lived through a nightmare as a major hurricane ravaged the Texas coast.
"Mennonite Disaster Service seeks to help those with unmet needs - the vulnerable in the communities who, without help, are unlikely to ever get home. We realize that the magnitude of this disaster can overwhelm most anyone, yet working together with local, state and national partners, we all can make a difference together," said MDS Executive Director Kevin King.
Mennonite Disaster Service has already been on the ground inspecting the area and will begin cleanup on Dec. 27. Other volunteer charitable organizations are expected to join MDS in their own cleanup and construction efforts in the weeks to come. With so much devastation and winter underway, there is no time to waste.
Contributions may be made directly to Homes and Hope for Kentucky, Inc. at www.HomesandHopeforKY.com. All donations are 100% tax deductible.
Pro bono PR services are being provided by Impact Communications, Inc., a professional marketing communications firm based in Leawood, Kansas. "We get it," said Impact Communications CEO Marie Swift. "It's a horrific thing to consider that something could happen to any of us - especially those of us who live in tornado alley."
ABOUT HOMES AND HOPE FOR KENTUCKY, INC.
Homes and Hope for Kentucky, Inc. (HHK) is a directed fund, operating under the umbrella of the Mayfield Rotary Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. HHK, which was formed in direct response to the devastating tornadoes of Dec. 10, 2021, is being led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors made up of local civic, government and business leaders, most of whom are Mayfield natives. Co-Chairs are Heather Nesler, Associate VP of Employee Benefits at Peel & Holland Insurance, Mayfield, KY, and Joseph Orr, retired 3-star general, US Army, now a Mayfield resident. All donations to HHK are fully tax-deductible and will help provide the essential household appliances and building materials needed to build new homes for those hit the hardest by the catastrophic tornados in Mayfield, Kentucky. Learn more and/or donate at www.HomesandHopeforKY.com.
ABOUT MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is a faith-based initiative that has been repairing and rebuilding homes in disaster zones since 1952. MDS sponsors 4,000 self-sustaining volunteers who focus on the clean-up, repair and rebuilding of homes of those most directly impacted by natural disaster. They are currently involved in about 20 ongoing rebuilding projects around the United States and Canada. Learn more at www.mds.org.
Media Contact:
Grace Vogelzang
Impact Communications, Inc.
913-649-5009 Office
425-532-6338 Mobile
GraceVogelzang@ImpactCommunications.org
Related Images
Image 1: Homes and Hope for Kentucky to Build New Homes for Tornado Victims in Mayfield
All labor to be donated, but tax-deductible donations are needed to reach goal of 100 new homes for stricken families
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