How to help Mississippi tornado victims
Mar 28, 2023
On Friday, March 24, an EF-4 tornado with wind gusts of nearly 200 mph razed the lower Mississippi River Valley. Lasting for an unprecedented 70 minutes, the tornado caused an estimated 26 deaths and extended into parts of Georgia and Alabama. President Biden has since approved a disaster declaration in Mississippi, where this crisis has impacted the most economically-vulnerable regions in the poorest state in the country. Food, shelter, medicine, and other forms of aid are required as quickly as possible to assist those in desperate need.
Your Vanguard Charitable donor-advised fund (DAF) is a flexible and efficient method to provide immediate support in circumstances like these. In partnership with Charity Navigator, we are providing a list of highly-rated organizations responding to the situation in the Mississippi River Valley. These organizations are allowing funds to be restricted to relief efforts from this particular disaster. The nonprofit community's response will be ongoing, and as such, this list is not meant to be exhaustive.
| Charity Name | EIN | Areas of support |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy Chefs | 20-5050449 | Mercy Chefs is providing professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals and clean water for victims, volunteers, and first responders. |
| GlobalGiving | 30-0108263 | GlobalGiving is delivering food and emergency medical aid to both people and animals, providing emergency shelters for displaced families, and supplying free meals and gas for first responders. |
| Convoy of Hope | 68-0051386 | Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization working directly on the ground. Team members are providing emergency aid to the displaced and assisting with debris removal and search and rescue efforts. |
To support these charities or others:
Log in to your online account by clicking the Login button in the upper right corner. Select Grant in the navigation menu at the top of the page and select Recommend a grant in the dropdown.
If the organization is not in your saved charities’ list, type the charity name, region, or interest area in the search bar under Find a charity. Click the magnifying glass to begin the search and then scroll down to see your search results. Charities will appear in a list below. Once found, save the charity by clicking on the star and then click select to begin the granting process.
You will be asked to select a grant purpose in the first step of the process. Select Disaster Relief: March 2023 Tornado in the drop down. If you want to donate to a specific cause or affected area, indicate so in the space provided.
If you do not have access to your online account, you can register by selecting the Login button in the upper right-hand corner. Follow the prompts to register for online access.
As noted above, the nonprofit community's response will be ongoing, and as such, this list is not meant to be exhaustive.
How to help locally
To support local relief efforts in affected areas, consider recommending a grant to a local community foundation. These organizations can often react quickly to emergencies and have extensive insight into the most urgent local needs throughout the rebuilding process. Check out this community foundation locator to find community foundations in the affected areas.