Agricultural News
Salvation Army Thanks Oklahoma Farm Credit Associations and CoBank for Wildfire Donations
Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:42:56 CDT
The Salvation Army of Arkansas-Oklahoma is very grateful to the Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and CoBank for a generous gift of $70,000. The gift is to help those impacted by the recent wildfires in rebuilding their lives after wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes in Oklahoma.
Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma include AgPreference, American AgCredit, Chisholm Trail Farm Credit, Farm Credit of Central Oklahoma, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma, Farm Credit of Enid, and Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma. Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma collaborated to donate $35,000. In addition, CoBank, the district funding bank for the Farm Credit Associations, matched the $35,000 donation for the grand total of $70,000.
The Salvation Army deployed mobile feeding units during the active wildfire response and served more than 2,500 meals, 2,840 snacks, and 4,584 beverages. In addition, we provided gift cards and vouchers to meet the emergency needs of those impacted by wildfires and have already distributed nearly $50,000 in direct assistance. The generosity of private individuals donating to The Salvation Army for this disaster response has provided enough funding to cover that initial response. In addition, we have received some additional funding from corporations and foundations to put towards long-term recovery efforts. However, the current amount of funding will not go very far towards helping nearly 800 households who have lost everything especially when we consider approximately 600 of those have no insurance.
"Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and CoBank. The funding makes a tremendous impact on ability to provide assistance," said Major Steve Morris, Divisional Commander of The Arkansas-Oklahoma Division of The Salvation Army.
Blake Byrd, President/CEO, Farm Credit of Central Oklahoma states: "Oklahomans have endured almost two years of record summer heat and exceptional drought which is now gaining national attention as the extreme conditions expand throughout the country. The recent devastating and dangerous Oklahoma wildfires are a prime example of the destruction produced by the extreme weather. Many of our rural neighbors and communities impacted by the fires will face challenges over the coming months, maybe even years, before they are completely restored.
Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma are cooperatively owned lenders with a singular mission to support our customer/owners, rural residents and communities. Farm Credit's partnership with the Salvation Army will provide a direct outlet for assistance to the rural population of Oklahoma. We don't view this as a donation-.we believe it's our commitment."
"The August fires were devastating to many families in Oklahoma. As concerned Oklahomans, we are very pleased to work with the other Farm Credit organizations in the state, as well as our District Bank, to provide significant additional support to those who were hard hit by wildfire destruction," mentioned John Poindexter, President/CEO, Farm Credit of East Central Oklahoma.
Butch McComas, President/CEO, Chisholm Trail Farm Credit and Cecil H. Sheperson, President/CEO, AgPreference, both stated how pleased they were to partner with Farm Credit Associations of Oklahoma and CoBank to join forces with The Salvation Army to ensure the needs of Oklahoma's wildfire victims.
John Grunewald, President/CEO of Farm Credit of Western Oklahoma added, "Our thought and prayers are with the fire victims and their families. We are honored to provide assistance to these families in their time of need."
Kyle Hohmann, President/CEO, Farm Credit of Enid states, "We want the rural residents of Oklahoma to know that Farm Credit is there for them in good times and bad. It is our pleasure to assist these families during their times of greatest need."
"We're extremely pleased to partner with our affiliated Farm Credit associations throughout the state in support of Salvation Army's wildfire relief efforts," said Robert B. Engel, president and chief executive officer of CoBank. "As it so often does, the Salvation Army played an essential role in the humanitarian response to these fires, and we are so grateful for the work they do each day helping people in Oklahoma and across the country."
The wildfires that spread across the state of Oklahoma this summer have left a path of devastation in more than 13 counties. The four hardest hit counties are Creek, Cleveland, Oklahoma, and Payne. Of those four counties, only Creek County has received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance. Although the Oklahoma Governor has appealed the President's decision, there may not be any federal funding for the other three counties. Even with an Individual Assistance declaration, the maximum grant that a household can receive from FEMA is $31,400.00. To date, 554 households in Creek County have registered for FEMA assistance. Preliminary damage assessment in the other three counties showed 141 homes destroyed in Cleveland County, 33 homes destroyed in Oklahoma County, and 53 homes destroyed in Payne County. That is a total of 781 households. There is also an uninsured rate of about 80% among those that have lost their homes to these wildfires.
Financial donations are still needed to support disaster relief efforts. The Salvation Army asks those who want to help to visit http://www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and designate Oklahoma wildfires.
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