Summer 2022 Update on ARDF Relief Efforts
The latest news on ARDF Relief Efforts
Your Impact
In the past three months, ARDF sent more than $325,000 in relief funds to Alabama, Australia, Haiti, Texas, and (areas in and around) Ukraine.
National Disaster Response Network
The big news this quarter is the launch of an ARDF National Disaster Response Network. Every year, dozens of natural disasters wreak havoc on communities across North America. ARDF has a long track record of responding to these disasters. Since 2004, we have raised nearly $5.5 million to help Anglican churches fund vital disaster relief efforts. Unfortunately, the number of disasters in North America is on the rise and we are compelled to expand our reach to help the increased numbers of people desperately in need of relief.
In 2020, ARDF started a pilot program, exploring what it might look like for us to have our own Anglican disaster response network. We began by working with the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast and the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. Volunteers from these dioceses hosted teams, trained volunteers and churches, deployed supplies, and mobilized people across the country. So far, these efforts have been incredibly successful, and we’re excited to continue to grow these strategic partnerships to include more churches and dioceses across ACNA. Watch the video promo or visit our website to sign up to get involved as a church.
The first ever ARDF Disaster Response Team
Grande Isle, LA remains devastated by last year’s storm.
We are thrilled to play a small role in helping churches demonstrate the love of Jesus through these tangible acts of compassion.
Ukraine
Not surprisingly, much of our recent relief spending has been for relief efforts in and around Ukraine. From April through June, we sent $290,000 to eight of our partners in the region, who remain busy caring for both Ukrainian refugees and Ukrainians remaining in the country. In July, we expect to disburse another round of funding. We will announce this on our blog and in future newsletters.
Our partners continue the important work of baptizing, discipling, and teaching those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Other Allocations
Much of our other relief allocations were small, the result of distributing amounts left in accounts designated for past disasters as we worked to clear our accounts before the end of our fiscal year (June 30). For example, we sent funds originally designated for the 2021 ice storms in Texas to our partner in Austin, for their ongoing work with those affected by the storms last winter. We also sent funds Water Mission for their work in Haiti after last year’s earthquake. Questions? Feel free to contact us for details.
The Joseph Fund
Our Joseph Fund remains the most efficient way for us to fund disaster relief efforts. We use this to support emergency requests even before we have had a chance to call for donations. We also use it to fund relief requests that aren't reported on mainstream media.
The Joseph Fund is critical for getting funds to those who need it most. Sometimes a partner of ours initially isn't able to accept all of the designated funds raised. This can happen when the partner is a smaller diocese with limited manpower for vetting needs. ARDF must then wait to disperse those funds until our partner is able to use the funds. [See Other Allocations above!]
But the Joseph Fund is also helpful when the needs are greater than the funds that we have received that are designated for that particular event. We can then meet the requests of our partners, no matter how much we have raised for their particular need.
You can learn more about the Joseph Fund – and our relief philosophy and funding priorities - on our website.
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