Heart to Heart responds to Midwest flood victims

OLATHE, Kan./June 19, 2008 — Heart to Heart International Inc., a leading global humanitarian organization, today announced that it is expanding its response to flood victims all along the Mississippi River.

“Excessive rains this spring in the Midwest have produced an extensive risk for flooding in the Mississippi River Valley,” said Dr. Jeff DeGraffenreid, Heart to Heart’s chief operating officer. “We have already been responding to flood victims in Iowa and we’re expanding efforts to broaden our humanitarian reach to residents up and down the Mississippi River. We anticipate that our response will last several months and are committed to rebuilding lives and communities in this region, so they emerge stronger than before these floods.”

Heart to Heart’s response will initially take a three-pronged approach. The organization has already sent 8 tons of relief supplies—mostly, water and hygiene kits—to clinics and relief agencies in Iowa, and it expects to continue offering support to agencies throughout the Mississippi River Valley. Heart to Heart will also collect specific items—buckets and cleaning supplies—at Sam’s Club locations in the Kansas City area the weekend of June 27. Collections will be transported by FedEx to a temporary location, where volunteers will help sort the items for targeted shipments. Finally, the organization will recruit teams of volunteers with specific skills for extended periods of service in the flood zone. Heart to Heart expects to deploy these volunteers starting the week of July 7.

Responding to flood victims is nothing new for Heart to Heart. The organization served as the lead relief agency 15 years ago during the Great Midwest Floods of 1993. With such a widespread disaster area along the Mississippi River, Heart to Heart needs additional financial support to respond effectively to flood victims.

People interested in making a donation can go online to www.hearttoheart.org; call Heart to Heart’s toll-free line (866-341-GIVE or 913-764-5200 locally); or mail a check or money order to 401 South Clairborne, Suite 302, Olathe, KS 66062.