2021 Tornado Disaster Relief Grants

On the night of December 10 tornados swept across western Kentucky, leaving unimaginable loss of life and property behind. True to its mission and legacy, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is working to assist residents in the region as they rebuild their lives as best they can.

The day after the tornados hit, Colonels Shannon, Kristy, and Amy Ralston extended a $2 million challenge to the Colonels. The Honorable Order immediately matched $1 million of that, asking Colonels to match the remaining $1 million.

We are pausing on releasing additional tornado relief funding at this time as we develop relationships with representatives in the region and monitor how other funders are allocating their resources. If your organization was affected by the tornados or is providing relief services in western Kentucky, please email epatterson@kycolonels.org for additional information.

Below you will find a list of organizations that have received emergency grants, along with a current tally of matching contributions from Colonels. To make your own contribution to this fundraising effort, click the blue “donate” button at the top of this page.

Click here to see the most recent relief-related news release.

wdt_ID	Name	Description	City	People Served
1	Aspire Appalachia	Aspire Appalachia is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping the neglected animals and individuals of the Appalachian region. They are helping nonprofits in the affected areas because they have experience with disasters and they want to provide long term relief after all of the immediate assistance ends.	Jackson	6,808
2	Caldwell County Animal Shelter	The Caldwell County Animal Shelter is run by all volunteers to help save animals in Princeton. They are providing medical needs for pets, feeding pets brought in, and housing the pets lost as a result of the tornadoes.	Princeton	2,160
3	Community Kitchen	The Community Kitchen provides meals to those in the Paducah area as well as a place to shower and do laundry. They are helping to feed those in need.	Paducah	935
4	Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland	Feeding America’s mission is to serve those in need by acquiring and distributing donated food, grocery items, and other commodities. They are providing support to 23 Kentucky counties affected by the tornadoes.	Elizabethtown	1,052
5	Generations Adult Day Services	Generation Adult Day Services mission is to deliver services and activities that promote health and well-being by providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment to adults with physical or mental challenges.The funds provided will help them purchase supplies and furniture for their new building.	Mayfield	7,985
6	Happy Feet Equals Learning Feet	The mission and purpose of Happy Feet Equals Learning Feet is to provide high-quality athletic shoes to disadvantaged students. They are providing shoes for children in western Kentucky.	Morganfield	4,135
7	Hope 2 All Food Pantry	The mission of Hope 2 All is to help people by providing weekly food distributions and by offering clothing. They are helping to feed those in need.	Drakesboro	9,860
8	Hopkins County Humane Society	The Hopkins County Humane Society serves Madisonville and the surrounding Hopkins County area and their goals are to place adoptable animals while promoting and encouraging spaying/neutering. They are purchasing items that were not donated and providing vet care for pets affected.	Madisonville	50,000
9	Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities	The Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities provides an array of services that help their members provides the best care for their residents. They are helping long-term care residents and staff members who were significantly affected by the tornadoes.	Louisville	40
10	Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence	The Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence (KCADV) provides a strong, statewide voice on behalf of survivors and their children. They are providing immediate support to survivors and shelter staff that lost their homes and other basic need assistance.	Frankfort	9,357
11	Kentucky Counseling Center	The Kentucky Counseling Center offers counseling, psychiatry, intensive outpatient programs, and targeted case management services for children and adults throughout the state. They are providing mental health care support for the children and families in Graves County.	Louisville	3,000
12	Kentucky Nurses Foundation Disaster Relief Fund	The Kentucky Nurses Association(KNA) is the only full-service professional organization for the state’s entire nurse population. They are providing needed supplies including water, medicine, sanitizing supplies and more to the communities and Kentuckians affected by the tornadoes.	Louisville	600
13	KSR western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund	Kentucky Sports Radio and the Kentucky Chamber Foundation are partnering to raise money for those affected by the tornadoes. They will be working with local communities, local chambers, as well as state and local officials to ensure the needs of these areas are met in the wake of tragedy.	Frankfort	27,500
14	Paducah Cooperative Ministry	Paducah Cooperative Ministry is a multi-faith organization established by area congregations as a unified, community effort responding to urgent needs of all people as efficiently and effectively a possible. They are helping to distribute care packages.	Paducah	34
15	Marcella’s Kitchen	Marcella’s Kitchen exists to unite a community by extending love and providing meals for those in need. They are preparing meals for volunteers, first responders, and residents affected .	Benton	2,000
16	Marshall County Exceptional Center	The Marshall County Exceptional Center is a nonprofit agency for adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. They are providing a day camp for kids impacted as well as sharing information on the current needs.	Benton	3,500
17	Marshall County Tornado Disaster Relief	The Marshall County Nonprofit Partnership Foundation is an organization established to help continue and develop nonprofit works in Marshall County. They are distributing funds to families to help them purchase immediate needs.	Benton	6,746
18	Mayfield Graves County Tornado Relief	The Mayfield Graves County Tornado Relief is collecting funds that will be distributed through the local United Way. They will providing food, water, clothing, and other essential supplies to those in need.	Mayfield	190,063
19	Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter	The mission of the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter is to find forever homes for every dog and cat that enters our facility. They are providing needed supplies and vet services to animals brought in after the tornadoes.	Mayfield	184
20	Salvation Army of Kentucky	The Salvation Army’s mission is to provide critical human services to those in need. They are providing food, drinks, shelter, emotional and spiritual care and other emergency services to survivors and rescue workers.	Louisville	650
21	Stepstone Family and Youth Services	StepStone Family and Youth Services helps families and children live their best lives. They are essential, caring resource for young people in need of alternative, safer living environments. They are providing support to foster children affected by the tornadoes in western Kentucky.	Benton	265
22	Team western Kentucky Relief Fund	The Team western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund was established to assist those impacted by the tornados and the severe weather system.	Frankfort	4,554
23	Walnut Grove Baptist Church	The Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Russellville is helping to provide clothes, food, and shelter to families in need. Their efforts will help families in Bowling Green and the surrounding area.	Russellville	6,542
286	YAIPak Outreach	YAIPak Outreach’s mission is to provide support, comfort, and resources to underserved individuals. They helped with the transportation of mattresses to families in need in Mayfield and Dawson Springs.	Clarksville, TN
287	Crossroads Missions	Crossroads Missions, located in Louisville, exists to connect people with basic human needs and to connect volunteers to organizations that provide services through partnerships that create a sustainable impact. They are meeting the basic needs through partnering with Habitat for Humanity and local churches to help with construction.	Louisville
288	DAV Chapter #118	The DAV Chapter in Benton provides assistance to veterans and their families in Marshall and Calloway Counties. They are helping to provide immediate needs to homeless veterans and is providing medical cards for veterans lost in the storms or due to homelessness.	Benton
289	HOTEL, Inc.	HOTEL INC’s, located in Bowling Green, mission is to educate, advocate, empower, and to ensure all people have security through safe, affordable housing, health care, and nutritious food. They are providing rental assistance and furniture vouchers to families affected by the tornadoes.	Bowling Green
290	United Way of Southern Kentucky	United Way of Southern Kentucky, located in Bowling Green, brings together resources to build a stronger community. They are helping families with housing related needs such as deposits, rent assistance, and furnishings to families in Warren County.	Bowling Green
291	Living Lands and Waters	Living Lands & Waters, located out of East Moline, IL, is an environmental nonprofit that has grown to be an “industrial strength” river cleanup organization. They are helping to clean debris out of Kentucky Lake.	East Moline, IL
292	Muhlenberg County Long Term Disaster Recover Fund	The Muhlenberg County Long Term Disaster Recovery Committee is coordinating recovery management. Their focus now is assisting tornado affected residents of Muhlenberg County through a vetted application process which is accessed by case workers. They have moved to the long-term need phase.	Central City
293	Stuff the Bus	Stuff the Bus, located in Bowling Green, is to support children and families throughout the whole year. They have set up a relief fund and utilize the resource centers in schools to distribute the funds to help families directly affected.	Bowling Green
294	Kentucky Habitat for Humanity	Kentucky Habitat for Humanity is the state support organization that works in partnership with 33 Habitat Affiliates located in 48 counties across the Commonwealth. They are working with the affiliates in counties that had significant damage and have developed a Disaster Recovery Initiative that will assist families to rebuild their homes or create new ones.	Louisville
295	Relevant Church	Relevant Church, located in Paducah, is providing disaster relief to tornado affected areas across western Kentucky through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations. They are supplying rebuilding help, portable showers, and laundry units.	Paducah
296	Lions Club western Kentucky	Kentucky Lions Club District 43, which covers most of the state and all of western Kentucky, began their work immediately with Lions from across the region, banding together, to distribute immediate need items. They are assisting families and communities now with the long-term rebuilding processes. They are assisting volunteer fire departments replace equipment and vehicles that were destroyed and are helping rebuild houses.	Mayfield
297	The Berry Center	The Berry Center, located in New Castle, was established in 2011 to continue the work of the Berry family and to put Wendell Berry’s writings to work by advocating for small farmers, land conserving communities, and healthy regional economies. They are providing sustainable healthy protein to those in need in western Kentucky through a partnership with Mercy Chefs.	New Castle
298	Mayfield Graves Long-Term Recovery Group	The Mayfield Graves Long-Term Recovery Group strives to help those impacted by the tornado through the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual recovery process. Their aim is to also serve as a unified community contact for resources and information.	Mayfield
299	St. James AME Church	The St. James AME Church, is a sacred space and the oldest African American church in the Mayfield Community. The church was founded in 1868 and they have been in the current building since 1923.	Mayfield
300	Caldwell County Long Term Recovery Group	The Caldwell County Long Term Recovery Group is a coalition of community groups and institutions that will cooperatively coordinate their response, resources, preparedness planning, and training in response to the December 10 tornados and in the event of future disasters. They provide case management, mental health, spiritual care, financial, and material assistance.	Princeton
301	Hopkins County Long Term Recovery Committee	The Hopkins County Long Term Recovery Committee is a group of agencies and organizations working to assist with the long-term recovery of Dawson Springs and Hopkins County. Services provided include case management, construction, volunteers, donations, communication, finance, and emotional/spiritual care.	Dawson Springs
302	Camp GRAVES	Camp GRAVES’ mission is to provide rent free, short and/or midterm housing to tornado victims for up to 18 months. They also provide resources such as education classes, trainings, and more for their community. After the immediate need is met, the camp will continue to provide emergency housing and assistance in the case of future disasters.	Water Valley
303	Lotus	Lotus is a children’s advocacy and sexual violence resource center whose mission is to support survivors, strengthen families, and empower communities to end child abuse and sexual violence. They received funds to open a Mayfield resilience satellite office to provide their specialized services in the Mayfield-Graves County community.	Paducah
304	Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, Greater Cincinnati Chapter	Sheep Dog Impact Assistance is a national organization that provides charitable services benefiting the overall well-being of our nation’s Veterans, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, and EMS personnel. Their Kentucky Sheriff’s Emergency Trauma Kit program’s goal is to place a trauma kit in every sheriff’s cruiser in the state of Kentucky. These kits will help sheriff departments in western Kentucky communities that were affected by the tornados.	Verona
305