Crucial Grants Fuel Extensive Home Rebuilding in Kentucky Community

Beverly (not her real name, not pictured) is a resident of Marshall County, Kentucky. Now a widow, she and her husband often volunteered helping people affected by disasters across the US. After her husband’s death, devastating tornadoes hit western Kentucky in late 2021, badly damaging the home where they’d lived together so long. Now she’s one of the people that IOCC has helped as part of long-term recovery work in Marshall County.

While IOCC Frontliners visited the area soon after the disaster and provided emotional and spiritual care, a grant from the American Red Cross supported home rebuilding throughout 2023. IOCC teams — made up of staff, trained team leads, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers — rebuilt 26 homes, provided $430,000 worth of labor, and supplied materials like lumber, roofing, and windows. This is money that homeowners would otherwise have spent trying to get their life back on track.

When other organizations saw how this response was transforming the community, they came together to extend the program. With this funding, along with the dedication of volunteers, IOCC continues rebuilding in 2024. To be part of IOCC’s mission serving people like Beverly, visit iocc.org/actionteams today.