On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene hit the west coast of Florida and traveled inland the days following, finally dissipating on September 29. Helene left a wide path of destruction across the Southeast, impacting the lives of millions of people. In the aftermath of this storm, many are looking for ways they can help those who are most in need.  

One of the organizations working to assist those impacted by Hurricane Helene is Orphan Grain Train (OGT), a recognized service organization (RSO) of the LCMS. As part of their relief efforts, OGT is collecting donations, both financial and material, for those impacted. Donations will continue to be collected, delivered, and distributed to those in need over the coming months, as the affected areas work to clean up and rebuild in the aftermath of Helene. You can read more about the work OGT is doing here. 

Want to collect money for Orphan Grain Train’s Hurricane Helene disaster relief fund? Here are a few easy fundraisers you can do at your school or church: 

  1. Penny Wars: Set up buckets in your school or church office, one for each grade. Encourage students to drop their spare change into the buckets over the course of a couple weeks, checking in each week to update totals. The grade with the most money raised at the end of the competition wins! 
  1. Stuff the Envelope: Write dollar amounts on 50 to 100 envelopes ($1, $5, $10) and hang them on a wall or bulletin board near your school or church office. Encourage people to pick an envelope from the wall and give the amount listed on the envelope. For a fun competition, have a different color envelope for each grade. The grade that collects the most money wins! 
  1. Dress Down Days: Do you wear uniforms to school? If so, the dress down days fundraiser is for you! Coordinate with your school administration and pick one day of the week when students have the opportunity to dress down. Collect $5 or $10 donations from students who choose to participate in the dress down day. This can be done as many times as you’d like over the course of a few weeks!  

Other ideas to raise money for disaster relief are to hold a car wash, mow lawns or rake leaves, sponsor a meal, host a bake sale, sponsor a meal, hold a bingo night – there are lots of options! Once your fundraiser is finished, donations can be made to the Orphan Grain Train domestic disaster relief fund HERE. Note “Hurricane Helene” in the comments to ensure funds go toward hurricane relief. 

Want to raise money for Orphan Grain Train’s disaster relief fund AND participate in some friendly competition? From now until November 1, Y4Life teams can compete to see which team can raise the most money for OGT! Pick one of the options listed above and opt-in to the competition by messaging @lfly4life on Instagram or by emailing Y4Life Assistant Cori at cori@y4life.org. Message or email by October 14 to be part of the competition! 

Cori will check in with participating teams each week, with team standings being announced on the Y4Life Instagram page each Tuesday morning. The team who raises the most money for Orphan Grain Train by November 1 will win either a pizza party or ice cream party – your choice! 

There are many other organizations working to help those affected by Hurricane Helene. Y4Life has compiled a list of organizations associated with the LCMS if you’d like to donate to more than one relief fund.