Katrina Hurricane Relief in Iowa

The Iowa City/Coralville business community deserves recognition for its generosity this holiday season towards the individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina living in Iowa City. Dozens of businesses and individuals have given of themselves during the past five months to lend a helping hand to these families. The effort to provide each Katrina family with food and a small holiday gift was managed by Local Foods Connection, a charity that purchases locally grown and produced food for needy families.

Thanks to cash donations from Integrated DNA Technologies; the Iowa Foundation for Education, Environment and the Arts; NCS Pearsons; Super Wal-Mart in Coralville; Western World and various individuals, Local Foods Connection was able to meet its first goal of purchasing fresh, delicious food for the Katrina families during the fall and early winter. The families received vegetables (from Iowa City and Solon), and chicken, eggs, homemade noodles (from Iowa City, Kalona and Corning), and turkeys (raised in Kalona) for Thanksgiving. Several farmers, including those at ZJ Farm, Friendly Farms, Donohue Farm and Whispering Creek Farm donated extra food in addition to the goods purchased.

As the holiday approached, the people at LFC realized that the families needed more from their new neighbors than food. These fun, charming and big-hearted families from the South were just as happy to have our company as the groceries we carried in our arms, and were anxious to talk about their lives and to learn more about Iowa City. We developed a second goal of pulling them into the community, and of helping them celebrate the holidays.

Our plan was to encourage them into town with gift certificates from area businesses. The responses we received to our requests for donations was heart-warming. The following businesses contributed goods, services or certificates: Akar; Buzz; Iowa Children's Museum; Coral Ridge Mall; Dawn's Beads; Every Bloomin' Thing; Men's Foot Locker; FYE; Go! ? The Game Store; Gypsy Magic; Hawkeye Barber; Iowa Artisan's Gallery; Java House; Lunar Golf; Prairie Lights; Prairie Table; Roominations; RSVP; Scheels All Sports; Soap Opera; That's Rentertainment; Trade Secret; Vortex and West Music. In addition, the Ginsberg and Braverman families of Iowa City sponsored three Katrina families for Christmas, purchasing gifts for each member.

I thank these businesses and individuals for their kindness and encouragement, and am grateful to the volunteers who helped develop this project and distribute the goods. The Katrina families deserve our gratitude and respect as well, for opening their homes and hearts to us, and for persevering with such grace under difficult conditions.

Local Foods Connection's work with the Katrina families is on-going. If you are interested in helping, or have moved here from a Hurricane Katrina destroyed region, please contact Laura Dowd, President, at the charity's office: (319) 338-2010.