Kentucky and Appalachia Flood Relief Fund

Thank you—we can’t say it enough. Your generosity meant survivors of floods across eastern Kentucky and western Virginia were able to quickly access essential items and the vital support needed to begin restoring their lives. 

Your donation to the Kentucky and Appalachia Flood Relief Fund powered nine grants to trusted GlobalGiving partners making a real difference in the lives of community members affected by the flooding. Here is a description of the critical work you’ve supported:

• Kentucky Civic Engagement Table (KCET) maintained communication with its partners across the region, including Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Appalachians for Appalachia, and Eastern Kentucky Mutual Aid Network to get flexible funding into the hands of grassroots community leaders frequently overlooked in crises. That included covering staff payrolls to support nonprofit first responders as they worked tirelessly after the floods.

• The United Way of Kentucky launched a statewide disaster fund to provide rapid support to its local chapters in eastern Kentucky that are on the front lines of response. The organization is a leader within the Kentucky Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster system, coordinating closely with partners in the state government and running Kentucky’s 211 service. The hotline provides holistic services to Kentuckians in need, most recently to large numbers of flood survivors.

• The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky created an Appalachian Crisis Aid Fund and is supporting flood-impacted communities by directing them to services, grants, and emergency funding. The foundation is also coordinating and mapping investments across the affected region, and monitoring all emerging funding gaps. With insights into these gaps, the foundation is actively directing grants toward communities, farmers, and small businesses still in need of relief. 

• The Appalachian Artisan Center has supported artists and community members for decades through its programming and studios. After losing its facilities to extensive water damage from the floods, the center’s staff will use GlobalGiving emergency funds to gut its facilities and begin the long repair process. 

• The United Way of Southwest Virginia has an ongoing campaign to raise support and respond to the summer flooding in West Virginia. As a key member of the regional VOAD, the organization has responded to other major disasters in the state, which makes its team equipped to coordinate with stakeholders, communities, and respond to longer-term needs of affected Virginians.

• The Mountaineer Food Bank jumped in to respond to the needs of eastern Kentuckians, shipping pallets of food across state lines to those who needed it most. The organization continues to respond to urgent calls from flood survivors and provides food to those who need it across West Virginia on an individual basis and through local churches.  

This fund is no longer accepting donations, and this will be the last fund report of this kind from our team. You can stay connected with our work through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and our Learn Library, where we regularly share stories about the incredible impact of the powerful GlobalGiving community. If you haven’t already, subscribe to get periodic email updates from our team here. We hope you’ll stay in touch!  

With gratitude,

Kyra + the GlobalGiving Team