United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County Awards Grants to Support Disaster Relief and Recovery

Oxford, Mississippi, March 9, 2026

United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County recently approved a grant award to Community Church Oxford to support disaster relief and recovery efforts in Lafayette County, Mississippi, which supplemented its $5,000 award to Lovepacks in early February that stemmed from a grant through the Walmart Foundation.

The organization established the United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund soon after the onset of Winter Storm Fern, and the grant award to Community Church Oxford will provide account credits (e.g., $50) that will be applied to electric bills for Lafayette County households that have been affected by Winter Storm Fern. Community Church Oxford will render payments to the applicable electric service providers, and impacted Lafayette County residents can complete the emergency assistance application online at helplou.com.

“Our organization cannot thank the many individuals, businesses and organizations that have generously donated enough for supporting the Lafayette-Oxford-University community during this difficult time,” Executive Director Kurt Brummett said. “The pledges and payments to our fund will potentially assist hundreds of affected households, and we greatly appreciate every donor, partner and volunteer who has selflessly contributed.”

Given the amount of need and impact throughout the LOU community, the expectation is not everyone who applies will receive an account credit. A team of community members with experience related to emergency assistance will review the submissions, and there could be a lottery system involved with the selection process given the storm-related effects being so widespread.

“Soon after the storm hit, our board of directors sought to determine practical, impactful and viable ways to support our community and complement the work of other entities,” Brummett said. “At a time when many were experiencing significant hardships of their own, our board members were resolute in their desire to help and sought to identify opportunities that would enable our organization to assist many local residents rather than only a select few.”

Lafayette County residents should provide pertinent details regarding the difficulties they experienced during and following Winter Storm Fern as the furnished information will factor in the selection process as need along with impact will be key considerations. The name, address, and account number of each selected household will be supplied to the applicable electric service provider, and coordination with local agencies could take place to support and/or substantiate disaster relief and recovery.

The partnerships and positive outcomes produced by Community Church Oxford and Lovepacks following Winter Storm Fern made each a logical grant recipient according to Brummett.

“Our board of directors and I are grateful to Community Church Oxford and Lovepacks for their time, energy and efforts over the past several weeks as well as throughout the year,” Brummett said. “Each does so much for our community, and we look forward to partnering with them to aid hundreds of our neighbors who have experienced substantial issues.”

In addition to hosting the online application form, helplou.com offers visitors the ability to donate to support ongoing relief and recovery initiatives.