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MRHD Awards Emergency Assistance Grants

January 27, 2006

Five Siouxland nonprofit organizations have received a total of $150,000 in Emergency Assistance Grants from Missouri River Historical Development Inc.

The one-time-only grants are designed to help agencies provide meals and food items, shelter and utility assistance to Woodbury County residents. The grants were announced at a news conference Wednesday by Mark Monson, MRHD president.

“MRHD is pleased to support the work of these nonprofits during this year when needs are particularly great for some Woodbury County residents,” said Monson. “These special grants are not intended to replace funds that agencies currently have. They are meant to supplement those funds. We are extremely aware that each agency has needs beyond this project.”

Grants were awarded to Center For Siouxland, $50,000; Community Action Agency of Siouxland, $50,000; Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, $20,000; Food Bank of Siouxland, $20,000; Siouxland Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, $7,500 and Siouxland Soup Kitchen, $2,500.

Recipients were selected using Federal Emergency Management Agency criteria; however, MRHD is not affiliated with FEMA. Each agency was considered based on its exposure to Woodbury County residents and its ability to deliver meals and food items, rent or mortgage payments or utility assistance.

MRHD’s Emergency Assistance Grant Project Committee members are Marilyn Murphy, Jim Marshall, Treyla Lee, Mark Monson and Larry Clausen.

Since 1994, MRHD has distributed $8.5 million to Woodbury County nonprofit and governmental bodies. Its annual small-grant program has awarded more than $2.3 million. Its holiday gifts and special projects distributions have totaled more than $1.3 million.

Major MRHD contributions have gone to Sanford Community Center, Habitat for Humanity, The Center, the Sioux City Art Center, Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, IBP Ice Center, Tyson Event Center and the Loren Callendar Clock Tower at Sioux City’s City Hall.

Also, MRHD built and sustains the Sioux City Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center for a total of more than $4.7 million.

MRHD is the nonprofit organization that holds the license for riverboat gaming in Woodbury County. Its funding is generated from an agreement between MRHD and Argosy Casino Sioux City, which allows Argosy to run a gaming operation in Woodbury County using MRHD’s gaming license. MRHD was formed in 1989 when Woodbury County voters approved a referendum that sanctioned riverboat gaming. A second referendum passed by 75 percent in 2002.

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