We couldn’t get the news fast enough as Saturday’s tornadoes wreaked havoc in cities and towns across the state. It wasn’t long before the news articles and pictures detailed the devastating impact. It was hard for me to take in that I was looking at real destruction – real homes and neighborhoods destroyed, real people whose lives have been turned upside down. No, this was not a bad dream. It was all too real.

During crises like these, our first inclination is to ask what we can do? The answer for me came on Monday morning when I came to work. Before I knew it, our board and staff were in high gear, leveraging our statewide network of affiliate community foundations. I saw firsthand the power of this network to marshal resources as we activated our Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund enables local leaders – the people who know these communities because it’s where they live and work — to make grants to local organizations  providing crisis assistance.  

What I want these leaders to also know is that there are people all over the state who want to help the victims of these horrific tornadoes.  I hope you’ll join me and many others in making a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. 

Here’s all you need to know to make a gift:

Credit card donations can be made online or by downloading a contribution form and mailing or faxing it to NCCF offices. (The fax number is 919-828-5495. The form or checks can be mailed to NCCF at 4601 Six Forks Road, Suite 524, Raleigh, NC 27609). Please designate your gift for “Disaster Relief.” All gifts are tax-deductible.

All funds will go directly to nonprofit organizations serving the needs of local victims in counties served by the NCCF. No portion of the NCCF’s Disaster Relief Fund will be used for the Foundation’s administrative or operational expenses, which the Foundation is also encouraging among local recipient agencies.

We’ve already received generous gifts from all over the state. We’ll keep you posted on how these contributions are being used in local communities.