Cedar Rapids, Iowa, June 2008 – The Chrysler Foundation donated $100,000 in flood relief supplies to the Serve the City Resource Group, Inc., in support of relief efforts for residents affected by a severe flood that recently hit communities in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The donation will be used by the organization to distribute emergency clean up supplies to victims of this recent natural disaster.
“The flood has been devastating to these communities. We want to help by distributing emergency supplies that are desperately needed following this disaster,” said Brian Glowiak, Vice President – The Chrysler Foundation. “The Chrysler Foundation, our dealers and their employees are lending a hand to the citizens of Cedar Rapids in their time of need. Through this effort, we are enabling them to begin the difficult task of cleaning, repairing and restoring their homes affected by the floods.”
Forty-nine Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles, driven by volunteer dealership employees, will leave a local Cedar Rapids dealership filled with gloves, masks, boots, shovels, generators, and other equipment and supplies needed for the clean up and reconstruction efforts. The caravan will drive through flood-stricken neighborhoods and, with the help of volunteers from Serve the City Resource Group, will distribute the goods to residents in need.
Serve the City Resource Group has coordinated volunteers to help unload, organize and distribute the clean up supplies to those neighborhoods that have been damaged by the flood. Homes, businesses, schools and other structures are in need of cleaning and repair.
“The difficult work of cleaning and rebuilding homes and communities will begin in the days and weeks ahead,” said Charles Daugherty, Executive Director, Serve the City Resource Group. “This donation from The Chrysler Foundation will help residents get started on their clean up efforts without the worry of expenses needed to purchase tools and supplies to clean their homes, clear debris and restore their neighborhood to its original beauty.”
The emergency supplies were purchased at The Home Depot and Wal-Mart stores in the Cedar Rapids area. As an additional contribution, The Home Depot offered The Chrysler Foundation a 40 percent discount, allowing for additional items to be purchased. At year-end, The Home Depot will also give a gift of 1.5 percent of the total of items purchased by The Chrysler Foundation to the Serve the City Resource Group. The Wal-Mart staff quickly packed, loaded and coordinated a staging area for the items purchased from their store.
