Donations for Washington, IL
I am updating the bottom of this post as I learn about new ways to donate to the relief effort. Scroll down for the latest information
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that my mom’s house was leveled by the tornado that hit Washington, IL yesterday.
My mom’s front yard and door
My younger brother Andrew was in the house when it happened. He was sleeping on the couch when he woke up all of a sudden. He looked out the window to see a tree flying through the air towards him and ran to the top of the stairs. To his right, the kitchen walls were sucked away. He dove for the bathroom and curled up in a ball on the floor. When he opened his eyes, there was a blue sky above him and the toilet, tub, and bathroom walls around him were all gone. He was able to walk away and after a short visit to the hospital, he went home with only 8 stitches, quite a few scratches, and lot of bruises. It’s amazing that he’s alive.
Our motto about this tragedy has been “Things are replaceable. People are not.” We’re very lucky that he was relatively unharmed and all that we lost were things. My mom’s entire neighborhood is basically leveled. If you’ve seen the national news coverage, most of it has been filmed in her neighborhood. Update: Over the past two days, we were able to salvage some items from the house. The basement was still in decent shape, however a water main broke during the tornado, so the basement flooded. Luckily some family photos were in plastic containers and did not get damaged.
The street leading up to my mom’s house
I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for the kind words through your texts, tweets, emails, and other messages. And for those of you who have been asking what you can do, there are a few options.
- The Washington Tornado Relief Fund has been set up to help victims. Checks can be mailed to Washington Tornado Relief Fund, 721 West Jackson St, Morton, IL 61550
- United Way has set up a Heart of Illinois Tornado Relief Fund. Information and donation links can be found here.
- You can donate to the Red Cross of central Illinois. Here is a link to their online donation site. To donate by mail, you will need this form. You can specify that you would like your funds to go to the Central Illinois chapter to ensure that the money is used in these areas.
- The Peoria Chiefs are doing an online auction with all the proceeds going to help the tornado recovery efforts. The auction will have autographed baseballs from Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Greg Maddux and David Freese along with an autographed Ryne Sandberg Hall of Fame program.
- You can purchase a Washington Tornado Relief t-shirt. All proceeds will go to families who have lost their home.
- Heroes Memorial Foundation is accepting online donations for first responders, military (active and veterans) and their families who were affected by the tornado.
Thanks for everyone’s thoughts, good vibes, and support. It’s very much appreciated. You can follow along on twitter with #WashingtonIL or on Instagram
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m a novice with canning but about two or so years ago had purchased the canner and supplies, went to an informational session at a local food show, and then never actually did it. Like you, I found it kind of intimidating and never really had the kind of time in the day that they stress is needed in order to closely watch your jars as they process. I hate the idea of messing it up and feeling like I not only failed it, but also wasted any food or supplies! So I just never did it, but maybe it’s time to give it a try!
I used to can tomatoes from our garden and applesauce from apples that we picked at a local farm. That was in the late 70’s and early 80’s. We bought a chest freezer in 1983 and since then we have frozen our garden produce. After being without electricity as a result of hurricane Irene and Super Storm Sandy, I learned a valuable lesson about preserving food. I will back to canning my tomatoes this year.
Thanks for partnering with Ball for the great giveaway.
I’m following Ball on pinterest as KatieQ.
http://pinterest.com/katieq/following/
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I liked Ball on FB and left a comment.
I’m pretty much a canning beginner. I have a fear of not doing it right, then being disappointed when I open the jar months later to find that the contents have spoiled. But, I am determined to give canning a try, especially to preserve all of the tomatoes that I am hoping my garden will give me by the end of the season.
I like your page on FB.
I have never canned before but always wanted to try. My mom always made awesome jellies that were so good.
Liked BB facebook page
Followed Ball on pinterest
Liked Ball on FB
I love to can, but I don’t do it enough. My favorite canning project is probably lemonade concentrate.
I have had success canning pepper jelly and pickling jalapeno peppers. I would love to branch out and try making/canning tomato sauce.
Oh my goodness! I love canning…I made pickles yesterday and this weekend I’m hoping to can some jam. There’s nothing quite like hearing the satisfying little “pop!” of a jar sealing.
i haven’t ever canned before but i am realizing i should probably conquer my fear of it, as well. my tomatoes are slow to ripen this year and i am pretty sure i am going to get hit with hundreds of them at the same time. there are far worse things that could happen to a gal but i sure would hate for them to go to waste!
Want to invite me lol? J/K but I too have a fear of canning, which is really silly when you consider that my mom and sister are both dedicated canners. I will be watching with interest!
beantownbaker — August 8th, 2013 @ 9:34 am
Congratulations Laura! You’ve won the giveaway package from Ball. Please email your mailing address to me at jen@beantownbaker.com so we can get the package sent out as soon as possible.
I would love to learn canning, but like you I feel it is a bit intimidating!
I began canning when I was 12 with my Mom,lets just say it was awhile ago …lol…I still can every year with her and my 2 daughters..we love it and do a wide variety of veggies left over from my garden and some jams..its a great way to teach and bring family together
like your facebook page
I liked Ball’s page on Facebook.
I followed Ball on Pinterest.
I love to can peaches and apricots. Nothing better in the wintertime!
I like your facebook page
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I just started canning this year for the first time. We’ve already made slasa, watermelon jelly and strawberry jam. I can’t wait to do crushed tomatoes later this year as well as applesauce and apple butter!
I was intimidated also, but just jumped right in.
I like your facebook page!
I like Ball’s Facebook page.
I follow Ball on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/js_wonders/
i liked your Facebook Page!
I liked Ball’s Facebook Page!!
I”m following Ball on Pinterest!!
I have canned before, but not since I was a teen (with my mother)
I like your Facebook page as Margot Core
I like Ball’s Facebook page as Margot Core
I like Ball on Pinterest as Margot Core