Cedar Rapids business collects, delivers donations for Greenfield tornado victims

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – As soon as Jacob Cowger heard about the tornado in Greenfield, he knew he had to act.

“I’m kind of a people person. So it’s in my nature to want to help people any way I can.”

Along with being a people person, Cowger owns Balloons, Etc. in Cedar Rapids. Right now the front of his shop is filled with donations for tornado victims, along with the van parked outside his shop.

The storms hit May 21, a Tuesday. By Thursday, Cowger and his sister had delivered their first shipment of donations to town. He said people in the area needed supplies to clean up the debris, including rakes, shovels, work gloves, and plastic totes.

After delivering that first shipment, Cowger got to see the destruction firsthand. “If you would take what happened to us with the derecho—as bad as that was, I would say it was 10 times worse,” said Cowger.

On May 29, Cowger is planning to deliver a second shipment of donations including pet food and baby and hygiene products.

“That’s just Iowa. That’s the way we are,” he said. “We take care of our own. We help each other, and we keep moving—putting one foot in front of the other.”

Cowger said people can still make donations before he leaves around noon on May 29. He said the best thing to do would be to reach out on the company’s Facebook page, and he would make it a point to be in the store to collect last minute items.

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