St. Cloud Native Making A Difference In Flooded Waterville

This is one of those tales of Minnesota Nice that could become a Hallmark Movie. Liz Swenson, a St. Cloud native who works in the Shakopee area, felt compelled to help those dealing with the devastation left behind by flooding in Waterville, MN. According to Swenson, she thought she'd be handing out water and food, but instead, she is managing donations coming in to help those affected by flooding.

I reached out to Swenson after seeing a post on social media, calling out her actions, and asking others to donate or help if possible. This is what Swenson had say after asking her what caused her to help.

Get our free mobile app

"I felt the need to do something with the floods and I looked everywhere to see where I could jump in. Everywhere I could help wouldn’t be in time. I have training as a first responder. I have worked in non profits and grew up around the government. I saw the BBQ post from the village and posted who I was and my background can I offer my help. Then Patty Salmon the President of the chamber of commerce in Waterville asked if I could get spaces. From there I went down met MaryAnn at the village helped her with a few things got to work in a day and a half I got 4 spaces and started getting donations and volunteers organized. Got connected with Red Cross and Salvation Army identified areas of need coordinated with the Mayor and I’ve been working to pass efforts back to the community with the future plans in place."

Swenson added "I felt like the things just were fated to happen. To be honest, initially I thought I was going to help pass out food and water when I looked for [the] opportunity to help"

Swenson then shared images of what she was able to organize in less than 48 hours, after securing a local church for her base of operations.

Day 1:

Day 2:

There is still a need for assistance in the Waterville area as dumpsters are filled with family memories and cherished goods. Any type of household goods, clothing, some appliances, etc are all needed at this time, to help get people through until insurance comes through or other financial aid is offered to help residents of Waterville.

If you'd like to help, with a donation of items or time, you can reach out to the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Red Cross information:

Support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like flooding and countless other crises by making a financial donation today.
Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, like the Minnesota and South Dakota floods.

Donate online at RedCross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-722-2767) or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The Red Cross encourages financial donations, which provide the quickest and most effective way to assist those in need. Please note that the Red Cross is not accepting donations of food, household items, or clothing, as these cannot be distributed by their teams.

Salvation Army information:

Salvation Army volunteers are also collaborating with the CrisisCleanup.org platform to register flood victims needing help with repairs and clean-up. Crisis Cleanup then connects volunteers willing to assist with people needing help.

Those wishing to support Salvation Army disaster relief efforts can donate today at SalvationArmyNorth.org/flood. For those wishing to learn more about being trained as an EDS volunteer, please contact Colin.Pillai@usc.salvationarmy.org.