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Latest Update: The South East Minnesota Education and Resource Center in St. Charles, MN is collecting and distributing goods for the flood region at the Winona County fairgrounds in St Charles. They are collecting many different items especially cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items and furniture. They will be operating out of the fairgrounds at least to the end of the year and expect to help not only people who've lost their homes but also people who have suffered job loss due to the disaster. If you are interested in making a donation or volunteering to help their distribution efforts please call Judy Smith at 507-932-3013
- Many private groups and individuals are coming together to help in the cleanup and recovery process after the late August floods in Southern Minnesota. Along with the usual sources of such help like Churches, the United way, The Red Cross and the Salvation Army, corporations, private businesses and business associations are helping in the relief effort, either through these groups or as individual efforts.
- Local charity Hope for the City is a privately funded, 501©3 relief organization. The Minnesota-based, non-profit organization collects overstock products from top retailers, medical companies and food distributors nationwide and donates the items to reputable organizations who serve people in need locally, across the country and around the world. Hope for the City, Menard’s & KSTP recently worked together on a Hope for the Heartland “Project Clean-Up” fundraiser. You can still donate by calling 952-897-7799.
Here is what some other individual businesses and organizations, large and small are doing:
| AgStar Financial Services |
$25,000 to initiate the Business Recovery Fund; challenging other businesses to match the donation |
| Alliant Energy |
$20,000 donation to The Salvation Army to help aid in the clean-up efforts taking place in Wisconsin and Minnesota.. |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation |
$25,000 to initiate the Business Recovery Fund; Blue Cross Heart of Blue Volunteer Council organized a team of 24 Blue Cross employees who will be transported to Rushford for flood cleanup on Sept. 6 |
| Cargill |
$10,000 to the American Red Cross and $10,000 to the Salvation Army Rochester unit |
| General Mills Foundation |
$25,000 to the Business Recovery Fund |
| IBM |
Coordinating volunteer efforts with United Way through Days of Caring; answering technology requests through in-kind support |
| Mayo Clinic |
$300,000 distributed equally to the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the United Way; $25,000 to the Business Recovery Fund; also donating medical and pharmaceutical supplies, ambulance support, emergency medical staff, health professionals and more |
| MN State Bar Association |
The MSBA is currently putting together volunteer lawyers to work through the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Section to provide assistance to flood victims, just as the ABA did after Katrina. (Volunteers should check with the MSBA at mnbar.org.) Members have assisted law firms flooded out in Rushford. |
| Minnesota Twins |
$25,000 to the United Way Minnesota Flood Recovery Fund |
| Polaris/M&M Lawn and Leisure |
M&M Lawn & Leisure has provided more than seven ATVs and 19 Polaris RANGERs to immediately to aid in the effort. The Polaris vehicles were the only ones permitted to enter the flooded town of Rushford, in the initial days after the flooding. |
| RTP Corporation, Winona |
$50,000 plus organized employee donations. Also took care of own affected employees by putting them up in a local hotel. |
Southern Minnesota
Initiative Foundation |
$25,000 to initiate the Business Recovery Fund
> Flood recovery information (PDF) |
| Target |
$25,000 to the American Red Cross and Salvation Army; local stores donating product such as sweatshirts, socks, Kleenex, paper towels, work gloves, etc. |
| Think Community Foundation |
$50,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund |
| Wal-Mart |
$150,000 to The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services efforts in the flood and disaster sites in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. |
| Wells Fargo |
$100,000 to United Way's Minnesota/Wisconsin Flood Recovery Fund |
| Winona Community Foundation |
Responding to short-term needs through Emergency Assistance Fund (13 partner agencies to this program serving direct needs of individuals in Fillmore, Houston and Winona counties); using a discretionary fund (the Winona Fund) to help with other immediate needs that don't fall under the parameters of the Emergency Assistance Fund; discussing long-term needs for recovery, which may include grants to rebuild the capacity of flood devastated nonprofits, in conjunction with community leaders and other nonprofits in the region
Information about flood help, volunteering and giving (PDF) |
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When disasters happen, government help is needed to strengthen and rebuild civil authority and but the recovery and rebuilding process is best accomplished when private individuals come to support the efforts of those in need, to help get their lives and their livelihoods back on track.
Sources: Help for the City, The Salvation Army, KSTP and the Minnesota Council on Foundations. Also Kim Miyong (KSTP), Conny Morgan (Hope for the city) and Paul Gleeson (RTP) were helpful in providing information.
If you know of other private efforts to help in the flood relief and think they should be added to this list, email
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