Help for Joplin Missouri

[Linda in MO]

I'm sure most of you guys have seen the news coverage for the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri. We live less than an hour north of there. It's where I went to college and it's where we go to shop and visit family. It is a second home for us. I'm so grateful that my family from there is OK and they still have their homes and business, but my heart breaks for those suffering.

I would be grateful to anyone willing to help in this time of need. The devastation is horrible, people are still missing, and the death count is still rising.

For those interested in helping Joplin, you can donate $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999 or go to RedCross.org. Also you can text the word ARMY to 90999 for an automatic $10 donation. To make a credit card donation, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Also, (this is copied from the Joplin Tornado Recovery facebook page)...A mid-Missouri family has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations made through the Heart of Missouri United Way from today forward. To give, go to http://www.uwheartmo.org/ or text JOPLIN to 864833 ($10 donation). Phone number is 573-443-4523. 100% of proceeds go straight to Joplin! All overhead is being covered locally. Every little bit helps!

Thanks!

[wallycat]

Nature's fury ....I am so sorry for those affected.
I can't imagine the horror and loss. My heart goes out to you all.

[Cafe Latte]

Thanks for posting. I just texted my donation. Sending my prayers to all in the area.

[swedish cook]

Thank you. I just posted about donations to the Red Cross on your other thread. Last night I watched a big pledge drive on local TV station in Missouri.
Glad to hear you are OK. Half of our extended family in the US live in Missouri, so that state is close to our hearts. So back in Texas and watching further developments.

[Luckyfeather]

Linda, I'm glad to hear your family/friends are okay. I live in SE Kansas, and we go thru Joplin a lot...sometimes every weekend. In fact, we were just on Rangeline last Saturday. I can't even imagine how it's going to look the next time we go there. Those poor people. I'll be glad when today and tomorrow are over with and hopefully the bad weather misses all of us. My prayers go out to the people of Joplin.

[LakeMartinGal]

Prayers for all of those in Joplin! We in Alabama certainly understand your devastation... it was about the same size tornado that hit our little corner of the world! I ache for all those in the hospital that was destroyed, as well.

[syzygy]

This link takes you to a before and after picture of the same street corner. It is beyond heartbreaking.

[Linda in MO]

This link takes you to a before and after picture of the same street corner. It is beyond heartbreaking.

Wow!
Thanks guys. I hesitated to post, because I know we can't all donate to every cause or disaster that happens. This one is just close to my heart, so I figured if they got a few extra donations that it would be worth it. I think the outpouring of support in Joplin has been awesome! And I heard that President Obama is going to be there on Sunday. I'm so afraid of what the death toll will be when all is said and done. On a positive note, they did rescue 2 people from Home Depot today.

Oh, and for anyone that is a Mizzou fan, here's link to a T-shirt being sold to raise money for tornado relief efforts...
http://mutigers.cbscollegestore.com/...duct_id=193994

[PurplePotato]

This link takes you to a before and after picture of the same street corner. It is beyond heartbreaking.

Oh my. The destruction caused by these storms this year is just beyond comprehension for me.

My heart and prayers continue to go out to all affected. We've had 1 tornado watch so far this week but I believe we're about to have another - the current warning is just west of us and the storm is moving east.

[nmody]

Oh, Linda, I'm so glad to hear your family is okay! I live in St. Louis and just spent two hours in the basement again today. What a year it's been!

Thankfully, there is an overwhelmingly positive outpouring of support for the Joplin community...doesn't mean more isn't needed though. Thanks for posting the links for people to make donations.

My kiddos and I cleaned out our closets just this past weekend, and my 8 year old daughter immediately decided to donate all out their outgrown clothes to Joplin. Brought tears to my tears when even the little ones "get it".

[KathrynY]

Linda, thanks for posting and also to everyone sharing links. The photos are devastating. So incredibly heartbreaking. I am happy to help out, just wish I could do more.

[jjsooner73]

So glad to hear your family is OK.

The stories I've read are just heart breaking.