As a result of the March 31 storms that brought tornadoes through towns across Eastern Iowa, the 5,760 square foot warehouse used as the main storage space for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity’s construction tools, supplies, materials, safety equipment, vehicles, trailers – everything necessary to build and repair homes – is a total loss.
Constructed in 2016, the IVHFH warehouse has been utilized to store the organization’s back-stock of materials and supplies for building and repairs such as lumber, paint, windows, and doors. The space was also large enough to park construction vehicles, and trailers. Additionally, brand new appliances destined for Habitat homes and projects were stored in the warehouse. The space was also built with volunteer capacity in mind: in the winter volunteers would join construction staff at the warehouse to carry out tasks needed for future builds like framing windows and doors. Volunteer workshops were hosted at the warehouse so staff could teach building techniques, tool identification, construction safety, and more. On several occasions, the organization hosted large volunteer groups for wall builds at the warehouse.
In addition to the total loss of the IVHFH warehouse, the neighboring HabLab facility sustained significant damage. The HabLab is a building with a classroom, kitchenette, bathroom facilities, staff office, and additional storage space. Heated and cooled, HabLab pairs perfectly with the warehouse when hosting volunteers in addition to precious storage space. While the HabLab still stands strong, it will require several critical repairs.
As neighbors throughout IVHVH’s five county service area (Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Louisa, and Washington counties) react to the damage and devastation caused by the storms, the organization is committed to responding to emergency requests for home repairs, major appliance replacements, and any other home repairs offered under the Helping Hands program of IVHFH. To continue this critical work without interruption in our services, IVHFH is looking to the support of the Iowa Valley community to raise funds and rebuild the Habitat warehouse.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! IVHFH has set up this fundraising campaign to collect donations that will be used to cover the costs of rebuilding including waste/debris removal and general cleanup, insurance deductibles, and replacement of valuable supplies, materials, tools, equipment, and more. Most importantly, donations will allow us to immediately replace valuable tools, equipment, and supplies that we need to continue building! It will take time to rebuild and determine what can be replaced by an insurance claim, but in the meantime, we have to continue building!
$15,000 is our initial goal for this campaign! The long-term costs of cleaning up and rebuilding are yet to be determined. Any donations that may exceed the needs for our warehouse cleanup and rebuild will be used to support our Homeownership and Helping Hands home repair programs so we can continue offering affordable housing services critical to our neighbors! Thank you! Your support will KEEP US BUILDING!
