Gift card drive raises thousands for those in need

A simple post on social media has helped a Kellogg woman raise thousands of dollars to give back to Jasper County communities affected by the Aug. 10 derecho.

With thousands without power for multiple days after the storm, Maggie Laverman felt compelled to try to help, even in just a small way.

“I thought gosh there is going to be this gap where people aren’t going to have stuff in their fridge,” Laverman said.

Laverman, who is originally from Grinnell, moved to Jasper County with her family three years ago after spending 10 years in northwest Iowa. She had many friends from unaffected areas reach out to her to be sure her family was OK after the storm and even offered to send money to help.

She and her family made it through the storm OK and didn’t really need the financial help. But that sparked the idea. She posted on her Facebook page an idea for a gift card drive, inviting anyone who felt they wanted to help the cause with gift card donations.

In her mind, if she raised around $300, that would be a nice number and she could help a lot of people. The response to her post was more than she could have ever thought possible.

“It kind of exploded. I started getting checks in, Venmo money, actual gift cards. There were companies from Northwest Iowa starting to donate,” Laverman said.

As of last week, the total amount raised $6,765 for gift card funds. As a mother of four boys, she felt it was important to involve her family in the collection efforts. Her three older boys are old enough to understand what is going on so they have helped from the very beginning. She put her personal address on the post so people would be able to mail donations directly to her.

Her boys helped her record all of the donations so they will be able to send everyone who donated a thank you note. Laverman wanted them to see what it was like to collect the money and then see those donations go to those in need.

“They really enjoyed that. They loved running to the mailbox and checking. “We have a letter! We have a letter!” Laverman said.

The idea was based firmly in faith with Laverman wanting to spread a loving message from her church, Newton Christian Reformed Church, along with the gift card.

“I have a letter that I put with each gift card. A note of encouragement and it’s signed by my church,” Laverman said.

The theme verse for the gift card drive is James 2:15-16, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”

One of the first places Laverman was able to distribute the gift cards was in the Ira. She knew that community was hard hit by the storm. She had enough donations to hand out gift cards to every house in town.

“We went door-to-door. We prayed with people. Made sure they were OK. Asked them if they needed anything that I could provide,” she said.

The post did bring other donations outside of the gift card drive. Several of Laverman’s Facebook friends from northwest Iowa also reached out to help work. Her former church, the Newkirk Reformed Church, helped organize donations of food and groceries to distribute as well. The helped with the Ira cleanup efforts.

“A bunch of my farmer buddies, they brought down skid loaders and man power and chainsaws and they just jumped right in,” Laverman said.

Gift cards have been distributed to many people in need in Jasper County, but Laverman’s gift card box is far from empty. She is still working to find those most in need to try to help them and give them hope after such a difficult time.

While she is still accepting donations, the initial rush has “died down.” However, she still gets letters from generous people wanting to help.

“(Monday, Aug. 24) I got a $500 check in the mail just from a person, not a company. I’ve gotten pretty hefty amounts in checks. It’s just unbelievable,” Laverman said.

The recovery from the storm is far from over, even though it has been three weeks since the strong winds wreaked havoc on communities throughout Jasper County. As people start to get back on their feet, it is because of people like Laverman who is helping those in need by spreading faith and hope with a simple act of kindness.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com