Non-Governmental Assistance

In addition to federal or state assistance, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may be able to tend to a farmer's unmet needs. Some good NGOs to check out:

Disaster Response Organizations

Faith-based organizations like:

Emergency Response Program of Church World Service

Church & Social Science Information Exchange (CHASSIE) is a portal and provides links to organizations involved in rural ministry.

Foods Resource Bank takes donations of grain to provide humanitarian assistance world-wide.

Farm Aid

National Family Farm Coalition

Rural Advancement Foundation International, which has a division that specializes in FSA debt restructuring and assists with information about bankruptcy. E-mail advocate@greenvillenc.com

Farm Credit System page provides links to banks and other farm credit organizations.

Farmers' Legal Action Group (FLAG) is a nonprofit law center dedicated to providing legal services to family farmers and their rural communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land. FLAG produces user-friendly manuals such as the Farmer's Guide to Disaster Assistance to help family farmers, their advocates, and attorneys understand how to get the maximum relief to which they are entitled under federal law.

Farm Credit System provides links to banks and other farm credit organizations

Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) RCAP's mission is to help people in rural America improve the quality of life in their communities. RCAP provides training and technical assistance to small, rural communities for local capacity building to gain and maintain access to water, wastewater and solid waste infrastructure. The RCAP network of six regional affiliate organizations work in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands providing services to over 2,000 small, rural communities across the U.S. in 1999. The regional affiliates also work in such arenas as low cost housing, economic development and transportation.

Operation Fresh Start is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is providing assistance to disaster-affected communities and regions in the U.S. through a new project called Operation Fresh Start. This initiative is coordinated by a partnership between DOE's Center of Excellence for Natural Disaster Remediation (CENDR) and the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD).

Farm Equipment: A good resource to consult before considering Reconditioning Flood-damaged Farm Equipment has been prepared by NC State University. Links to related sites and email lists are also included.

Consult Estimating Farm Equipment Costs by Iowa State University to help develop a true cost of disaster-damaged farm equipment.

Hay Supplies:

Internet Hay Exchange

Haynet, a service of the Penn State Cooperative Extension that provides a directory of forage suppliers for farmers in need of supplemental forages due to drought conditions in Pennsylvania.

Housing Assistance Council, a national nonprofit created to increase the availability of decent and affordable housing for low-income people in rural areas nationwide. Although the organization does not help individuals directly, its web page suggests how to find organizations that do.

Mental health: Mental Health Services Database,which includes information about organizations that provide mental health services

National Association for Rural Mental Health organizes conferences, which often include sessions on disaster response. A special issue of their newsletter "Party-Line," provided on their Web site, provides a detailed report about the farm crisis and mental health responses. An online member discussion group can provide a forum for those seeking to exchange information on disaster response.

State Chapters of the National Association of Social Workers

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