Willie Nelson to Deliver Initial Relief Funds Saturday to Iowa
Grassroots Coalition
SOMERVILLE, Mass., June 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As flooding
continues to ravage agricultural and rural towns on the banks of the
Mississippi River and other rivers, Farm Aid is activating its Family Farm
Disaster Fund to get immediate relief to family farmers in Iowa, Wisconsin
and across the Midwest. Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson will
distribute the first grant from the Family Farm Disaster Fund on Saturday,
June 21, to the Iowa Grassroots Coalition, a group of farm and faith-based
organizations in Iowa working on the recovery effort.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080623/DC25751A )
"Our hearts go out to the folks all along the Mississippi who are being
affected by the severe floods that have taken out towns and farms in Iowa
and Wisconsin," said Farm Aid President Willie Nelson. "At Farm Aid, we
have had friends in these communities for 23 years who can deliver
immediate support to family farmers, getting them back on the land, growing
good food for all of us."
Reports indicate that at least four million acres of farmland are
underwater and that a high percentage will not be replanted this growing
season. Many family farms in the region growing specialty crops and produce
are not adequately covered by federal crop insurance and may not have the
financial support necessary to rebuild.
Farm Aid emergency assistance is supporting local recovery efforts in
Iowa and Wisconsin, delivering an initial $10,000 in disaster-relief funds
to grassroots organizations. Since the Family Farm Disaster Fund was
activated on Wednesday of this week, more than $40,000 has already been
donated by individuals and organizations, including Best Buy and WhiteWave,
makers of Horizon Organic and Silk Soymilk. As money is raised, Farm Aid's
focus is to quickly distribute money to affected areas, where it can best
benefit farm families.
"In the face of the devastation caused by the flooding across the
Midwest, Farm Aid is proud to work with the individuals and organizations
that have already stepped up and shown their support for family farmers.
Together, we will help these farmers rebuild and protect our source of good
food," said Farm Aid Executive Director Carolyn Mugar.
Farm Aid is supporting the disaster-relief efforts of the Iowa
Grassroots Coalition, which includes Buy Fresh Buy Local Iowa, Center for
Rural Affairs, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, Iowa Farmers Union,
Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, Iowa Organic Association, National
Catholic Rural Life Conference, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Women Food and
Agriculture Network, farmer and advocate Denise O'Brien, and Wendy
Wasserman, editor of Edible Iowa River Valley. As more information is
available about the impact of the flooding in states across the Midwest,
Farm Aid will work with additional organizations to quickly get resources
to family farmers in those states.
"Family farmers across Iowa have been sharing their personal stories
about the impact this monumental flooding has had on their farm
operations," said Coalition spokesperson Denise O'Brien, an Atlantic, IA
farmer. "We want to get assistance to these farmers as quickly as possible,
and we thank our long-time friends at Farm Aid for giving us their
support."
Contributions can be made to Farm Aid's Family Farm Disaster Fund
online at http://www.farmaid.org.
Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant family farm-centered system of
agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson,
Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to
raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire
people to choose family-farmed food. Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more
than $30 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the
reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the current system
of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.
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