On May 25th, 2008, an F5 tornado ripped through the town of Parkersburg, Iowa… killing six people and practically wiping out the small town in Northeast Iowa. Now, with some help from biodiesel, the town is rebuilding.

This story from Biodiesel Magazine says the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Ames, Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group Inc. have announced a $10,000 donation toward the purchase of biodiesel to aid the recovery effort. And that has turned into a statewide money-raising effort:

“The idea was to round the price of diesel up to $5 a gallon and ask people if they would like to donate just a gallon,” an REG representative told Biodiesel Magazine. “We have been overwhelmed by the participation in this fundraising activity.”

KCPS Radio in West Burlington, Iowa, donated $1,000 accumulated from listeners, and although the deadline for helping to purchase biodiesel has passed, persistence to help continues. “My sidekick and I raised the money from our listeners in just one week,” said Chip Giannettino, KCPS station owner and morning show host. “In fact, we’ll exceed $1,000 as donations are still drifting in.”

Western Dubuque Biodiesel in Farley, Iowa; and Central Iowa Energy in Newton, Iowa joined REG and the IRFA in making addiitonal $500 donations. GATX Rail and the Iowa Biodiesel Board were also noted donators among dozens of others.