Ways to Help Families Affected by the May Tornadoes - MetroFamily Magazine
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Ways to Help Families Affected by the May Tornadoes

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Looking for a way to help families in need in the aftermath of tornadoes of May 19-20 and May 31? We will continue to update this list as we hear of more opportunities to help.

[Editor's Note: Know of a way to help that should be included ? Comment below or send us an email.]


Looking for a way to donate? Want to volunteer? Know someone who needs a hand? Here's a great place to start–> moore.recovers.org.


Donating Money:

  • Moore Books for Moore Kids is collecting new and gently used books to rebuild elementary teachers' classrooms. This site takes donations to use for books and gift cards for teachers. gofundme.com/MooreBooksforMooreKids

  • DonorsChoose.org funds classroom recovery projects for supplies such as clothing, food, books, therapy resources and classroom furniture.

  • OU has established the Help OUr Neighbor Fund to benefit OU faculty, staff and students who lost homes or personal property in the recent tornadoes. Any and all donations received in this fund will go directly to those students or employees whose homes and property were lost. Donations can be made at tinyurl.com/oufoundation. Contributions also can be mailed made payable to the OU Foundation and designate "Help OUr Neighbor Fund" in the memo line. The University of Oklahoma, Office of Development, 339 W. Boyd Street, Norman, OK 73019-3202.

  • Donations of $10 to assist those affected by the tornado can be made by texting STORM to 80888 for Salvation Army, texting REDCROSS to 90999 for Red Cross (Text contributions to the Red Cross go toward a national disaster recovery fund.), texting TWISTER to 20222 for Save The Children, texting GIRLS to 20222 for Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund or by texting FOOD to 32333 for the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank.

  • United Way of Central Oklahoma’s Disaster Relief Fund—donations may be made online at unitedwayokc.org or by mail to United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK  73101 with notation for May Tornado Relief.
  • United Way of Norman—donations may be made online at unitedwaynorman.org If you would rather write a check, please send it to United Way of Norman, 2424 Springer Drive, Suite 304, Norman, OK 73069. Make sure to write "Oklahoma Tornado" in the memo line of your check.
  • Contributions to the Moore & Shawnee Tornado Relief Fund can be made securely online at TulsaCF.org. Donations can also be mailed to TCF offices at 7030 S. Yale, Suite 600, Tulsa, OK, 74136.
  • Journey Church (I35 and Tecumseh Rd, Norman) Donations can be made directly through the online giving page, please mark 5/20 Relief, or visit the Norman Campus to donate. helpmoorerebuild.org/donate

  • Crossings Community Church – Financial donations can be made on crossingsokc.org/giving. Sign-in or create an account; select “Missions”; and then select “Disaster Relief Fund”. Money will go directly to tornado relief.

  • Foundation Beyond Belief is working to help channel funds to those in need.

  • Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund donations at gswestok.org/donate. Monetary donations can also be made at any council offices.

  • Catholic Charities OKC – All donations made to this fund will support recovery for victims, such as temporary housing, food, medical bills and more. To donate, call 523-3000 or visit catholiccharitiesok.org

  • Oklahoma Baptist relief teams are assisting with relief and recovery efforts. Donations can be made by visiting okdisasterhelp.com or by calling 942-3800.

  • First American Bank is now hosting a donation site for the Moore Public Schools Foundation. If you would like to donate to help alleviate the affects of the damage of Monday's tornado, please visit bankfab.com/donate.


Donating Items:

  • The Wonderfully Made Foundation/Homeless Home is assembling care bags filled with toiletries and other articles for families affected and displaced by the tornado; also need volunteers to help assemble the bags.

  • Primrose Schools of SW OKC (1520 SW 119th St) is taking gift cards for parents and donations for the families in the school that were affected by the tornadoes. 793-6000.

  • Uptown Kids at Classen Curve in OKC (5840 N Classen Blvd, Suite 3) has established a Children's Clothing drop off location. 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday. Call 418-8881 if you need to drop off outside of those hours. Also accepting any other donations for the tornado victims outside of children's clothing.

  • Send messages or art in the shape of the Girl Scout Trefoil to be presented later in the summer to those Girl Scouts affected by the storms. Send your trefoil artwork to: Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma, Mary Nichols' Family Leadership Center, 6100 N Robinson Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73118. 418-7920

  • Oklahoma Lawyers Care will be updating how to donate and where, answering questions regarding all issues such as insurance, scams to avoid, how to get a new license, how to document lost items, etc. and setting up a blood drive. oklawyerscare.org 359-4286

  • Moore Books for Moore Kids is collecting new and gently used books to rebuild elementary teachers' classrooms. Schedule a drop off in Yukon, OK by contacting 826-9036 or donate books at Eastlake Church (700 SW 134th, Moore) between 9am-5pm.

  • The Single Parent Support Network (1518 N Rockwell Ave.) is collecting furniture, dishes, pots and pans, paper goods, diapers, wipes, clothing, water, etc. Call if you know of a single parent that has been affected and is in need of assistance. Efforts are only to assist with reloaction, housing and furnishing for the families displaced. 917-1817

  • Gold Plated will be able to pick up canned food/pantry items. Residents in OKC & Edmond can place items on porch in bags/boxes and email goldplatedfood@gmail.com.

For more ways to donate please visit:

Rock for Oklahoma Benefit – An all-star lineup of musicians with a special connection to the state of Oklahoma has been organized for a concert to raise money for victims of both F5 tornados that struck Moore, Oklahoma City, and surrounding areas this spring. Kings of Leon, The Flaming Lips, Jackson Browne, Built to Spill and special guests will perform at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Tickets for this very special musical event will go on sale this Friday, June 14th at 10 am online via ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1.800.745.3000. Tickets are $35.00 and $50.00. Proceeds benefiting storm victims in Oklahoma through local charities.

Rebekah Willoughby, self-taught musician and 9th grader at Chickasha High School in Oklahoma, will donate all proceeds from the sale of her song, “Oklahoma Strong,” to benefit victims of the May 20 tornado in Moore. Willoughby’s song can be purchased here through iTunes, or here through Amazon.

School Supplies for Kristin Atchley

Download Look For The Good People by Sugar Free All Stars

Businesses in the Plaza District with items to sell to benefit the tornado relief efforts

disasterrelief

okcfox.com

downtownokc.com/TornadoRelief

normanarts.org/2013/05/art-for-moore-tornado-relief

actok.org/how-you-can-help-moore-ok-tornado-victims

kfor.com/2013/05/20/how-to-help-okla-tornado-victims

Grey Oklahoma Strong t-shirt

mardel.com/Convoy-of-Hope-Oklahoma-Relief-T-Shirt

If you’d like to donate blood, contact the Oklahoma Blood Institute.


Helping Pets:

  • Central Park May and Central Park Classen Curve will be accepting donations of food, towels, blankets, and supplies for the animals that have been affected to benefit the Central OK Humane Society.
  • Pet Lost & Found okclostpets.com

  • Benchmark Animal Hospital—providing assistance to animals that have been affected by the tornado and need shelter or medical attention. 547-8381
  • The Animal Resource Center (7949 S. I-35 Service Road) is taking in pets that have been misplaced by the tornado. If you find a dog they can bring it and if the animal needs veterinary care, volunteers are standing by to transport. They are located just North of Moore at I-240/I-35 intersection. 604-2892
  • Ann's Country Club for Pets  (4200 E. Britton Rd.)—providng care for displaced animals. 478-2303 or 615-9609
  • Annie’s Ruff House (1034 N. UNiversity Blvd, Norman) is sheltering dogs displaced by the weather. 613-7083

  • The Pet Food Pantry of OKC is offering dog food, cat food, leashes, collars, food bowls, etc. 664-2858


Volunteering:

  • The American Red Cross is asking for more volunteers from the community to help with tornado relief efforts.
    The volunteers will be assisting in the Multi-Agency Resource Centers. Volunteers will be acting as greeters, guides and assistants to families coming to meet with the Red Cross. Volunteers are also needed to assist with casework data entry. Basic computer skills and knowledge are required. Volunteers must pass a background check to qualify for the data entry positions. Volunteers may sign up online or call 571-205-3266 or 571-205-3551 or email dr225-13ss-lcv2@redcross.org.

  • The City of Moore is instituting a new volunteer process, to be managed by ServeMoore.com, which is an open coalition of local churches and city governments. A hotline for volunteers, donations and needs has been established: 1-866-484-3500 -to be staffed 6 days a week from 8am-8pm. The City of Moore strongly suggests that, whenever possible, volunteer operations are conducted through this hotline – especially for large groups. It is important for the city to keep track of hours volunteered, because FEMA will reimburse Moore for the dollar value of those hours.

  • Theresa Long, who works for the Corporation for National Community Service which is a VOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) organization, is needing mass care volunteers at the shelters for helping with food and overall delivery of service in shelters. Call 231-5203, 202-489-8407 or email tlong@cms.gov.

Resources for handling trauma:


Resources for those affected:

  • Infant Crisis Services is opening a branch in Moore to better assist the babies and toddlers affected by the May tornadoes. The branch will be located inside Platt College at 201 North Eastern, in Moore, and will be open every Wednesday beginning July 10, 2013, from 10am-3pm.
  • Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity is taking applications for home rebuilds. No down payment. Zero interest home loans. 22 year mortgages. Un-insured and under-insured welcome. To request an application and for more information, call COHFH 232-4828.
  • First come first serve counseling every Tue-Thur. Tue-Eastlake Elem; Wed-Winding Creek Elem; Thurs-Highland West 10am-2pm.
  • Photographers for Oklahoma links storm survivors willing to donate a photography session to those who lost their homes and photographs.
  • YMCA of Greater OKC is offering free summer childcare for families impacted by the tornado. Available Mon-Fri, 6:30am-6pm for children ages 6-12. Teen camps also available. Lunch and snack provided. 290-5020. purquhart@ymcaokc.org.
  • Parents who are trying to locate child care should contact Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral at 942-5001 or 1-888-962-2772.
  • Women of the South Oklahoma City is scheduled to open a clothing store to aid those affected by the recent tornadoes. The shop contains clothing for men, women and children. The store is located in Chateney Square at 10600 South Penn, Suite 9. Hours of operation are 10am-6:30pm Monday–Saturday and 12–4pm on Sunday. All clothing will be distributed at no charge, please bring proof that you suffered loss in the storms.
  • To help certified personnel, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi announced today that the State Department of Education will waive the $25 replacement fee for certified educational certificates for those that may have lost their certificates as a result of storm damage from now through the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

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