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Do you live near Oklahoma City? The FreeOK freethought convention will be sponsoring a literacy drive to benefit schools affected by the Oklahoma tornadoes. On Saturday, June 22, the convention will act as a drop location for book donations and monetary contributions for creating a mobile library/book store or rebuilding/restocking school libraries. Click here to learn more.

On Friday, May 31, another round of tornadoes hit parts of Oklahoma that are still recovering from last week’s severe weather. As of Saturday morning, five people are confirmed dead, with many injured and missing, and the area now faces severe flooding in addition to the tornado damage. 

Our Humanist Crisis Response program will continue to support Operation USA and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma as they help the area recover. The affected communities will need assistance for many weeks to come. To donate, click here.

To date, our Humanist Crisis Response program for those affected by the Oklahoma tornados has raised more than $40,000 for relief efforts. Donations are being continually forwarded to our two beneficiaries, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and Operation USA—as of May 29, we’ve sent each organization $20,000. Here’s what our two crisis beneficiaries have been doing in the week since the tornadoes struck:

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is working with other food banks across the country and food companies that have donated several semi-trailers of products on pallets (things like water, ready to eat meals, etc.). Their volunteer center was open for extra shifts, during which volunteers helped prepare food donations for distribution.

According to the Regional Food Bank’s Karen Paul, “Our relief efforts are going to extend several weeks (maybe months) after this initial push. I grew up in one of the areas that was hit on Sunday evening. These areas haven’t received a fraction of the media attention that the Moore storm has. I can tell you that many of those areas, especially the rural ones hit in the first round of tornadoes on Sunday evening, had limited resources in their area prior to the tornadoes. They’re definitely going to need help in the weeks ahead, which is when many people start to move on and forget about them.”

Operation USA has sent a shipment of electric generators to community-based health clinics and will send more as the clinics and other organizations indicate their immediate needs for power. Jamaica Walden shared this update: “A logistics expert is in Oklahoma City on our behalf and is reaching out to other local groups to better match what we have (or hope to have) with what is needed. We anticipate receiving large quantities of new clothing, cleaning supplies, hygiene supplies, and other items from various companies. If funds allow after the emergency phase, we typically use all remaining funds to make cash grants to clinics and schools serving the affected community. Thank you again for your donation from Foundation Beyond Belief to our relief efforts in the Oklahoma City area. We share your values and thank you and your members for your support!”

You can still contribute to our Humanist Crisis Response by clicking here.