The LCF Disaster Response Fund awarded a $5,000 grant to Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) through Lutheran Disaster Response to benefit individuals affected by the spring 2008 Iowa floods and tornadoes. In a letter dated August 15, 2008, LSI Vice President of Advancement & Church Relations, Kaye Englin, shared "The destruction has been massive, affecting every community located on a river or stream."
Lutheran Services in Iowa, the Iowa affiliate of Lutheran Disaster Response, works with communities affected by disaster to address the long-term unmet needs of residents impacted long after the cleanup phase is complete. The most prominent method of support to communities and their members is through case advocacy (case management).
This grant made it possible for LSI to respond to thousands of Iowans still recovering from the disasters of 2008. Case advocates, in partnership with local disaster recovery committees, assist people by connecting them to resources that solve immediate and future needs. In addition to support from assigned case advocates, typical assistance may include the purchasing of a bed or other household items, paying an insurance deductible, paying a utility bill, rent assistance or addressing a wide range of uninsured or underinsured financial losses.
Grants from the LCF Disaster Response Fund are made possible through the generous gifts of the Foundation's donors, who have chosen to provide a unified response through the Foundation.