Monday afternoon, an EF-3 tornado tore a 12-mile path through the Fox Cities. Winds up to 140 miles per hour ripped through Appleton, Fox Crossing, Menasha and Neenah – flattening homes, gutting businesses, flipping cars and taking down power lines across entire neighborhoods. Governor Evers has declared a state of emergency.

These are our listeners. Our coworkers. Our families. The people we see at the grocery store and the ballpark and the drive-thru. And right now, a lot of them are starting over with nothing.

So we’re doing what Northeast Wisconsin always does. We’re showing up.

Operation: Valley Strong is a two-day, all-hands supply drive from Midwest Communications radio stations. On Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st, we’ll be parked outside Festival Foods in Appleton and Green Bay from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM both days, filling semi-trailers with the food, cleanup gear and everyday essentials that families in the storm’s path need immediately.

Thanks to Midwest Carriers, who are supplying the trailers, and Festival Foods, who opened up their lots, every item you drop off goes straight to Volunteer Fox Cities, the organization coordinating relief and distribution on the ground in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.

Can’t make it out to a drop-off site? You can still help. Make a tax-deductible gift to the Community Response Fund 2026 Tornado Relief at unitedwayfoxcities.org/tornado. Every dollar stays local, and it lets relief organizations buy exactly what’s needed, exactly where it’s needed often in bulk, at a discount.

We’re the Valley. We’re stronger together. Let’s go to work.