The Rev. Craig Blaufuss, pastor of UC Church of Christ, Webster City, is chairman of the Webster City Ministerial Association, a position that rotates among the leaders of 10 local churches. To him, and a volunteer staff has fallen the task of expanding funding for the Association's largest single project — the Ecumenical Human Needs Fund. Volunteer bell ringers begin collecting donations today to ensure the fund can continue its work.

You know these people.

They’re the ministers, priests, lay church leaders, church secretaries and social workers of Webster City. You might see them at work in your neighborhood, or wave to them on the street.

There’s more to their work than you know. To do this work, they leave behind the Webster City of clean streets, Iowa Nice, and general prosperity, for another Webster City most of us will never see.

It’s a Webster City of those who have lost a job, can’t make this month’s car or utility payment, or face chronic illness without health insurance. Often, the only thing that stands between such people and hunger, homelessness – or complete despair — is the Ecumenical Human Needs Fund, which, since 1984, has been Webster City’s own 100% local safety net charity.

Who does EHN serve? Let’s look at three Webster City families who’ve been recent clients.

You may joke you’re down to your last dime, but one Webster City family actually found themselves in that position, with literally 10 cents to their name. One parent had cancer, which required driving to Iowa City for treatment. The other parent took time off work to do the driving. Eventually, the driver missed so much work, he was fired for absenteeism. Worse, the family was two months behind on rent.

EHN gave the family’s landlord $700, its maximum grant to a single person or family per year.

In another case, a Webster City man was caring for his aging father. Both had MS. The son had a job, but his car quit running in winter and he had to walk to work. The same winter his apartment caught fire and he became homeless. He moved into a trailer with no bathroom, running water or electricity — little more, really, than a mattress. When he could save enough money, he treated himself to a night in a hotel so he could take a shower. He phoned longtime EHN counselor Sharon Perry one night, when the temperature reached -34 degrees, saying, “I don’t want to die here.”

EHN made sure he didn’t.

A Webster City High School student came to school in the only clothes his mother could afford, all of it from thrift stores or rummage sales. Other students ridiculed him for his shabby appearance. With the unrelenting pressure of daily bullying on social media, the student was at risk for suicide. But one day he came to school dressed in all new purple and gold Lynx gear and a pair of new shoes.

EHN made it happen for him.

The Rev. Craig Blaufuss, First Congregational United Church of Christ, is chairman of the Webster City Ministerial Association, parent of EHN.

“We’ve spent $18,500 on assistance so far in 2024, and it will probably reach $24,000 by year end,” he said recently.

Both figures are a record. The charity is already committed to help 141 people, in 47 families in Webster City, in the month of December alone.

Blaufuss explained, “Our priority has always been keeping people from becoming homeless. We try to help families that have an income stream, and just need a boost to get out of a tight spot. We know all their problems will get worse if they’re homeless.

“A year ago, we increased our maximum grant from $400 to $700 to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of rent.”

Even basic apartments in Webster City now rent for $750, or more, per month.

In years past, the fund has been able to count on support from two local trusts.

The William Morrison Trust was established in 1950, to benefit needy people in Webster City. Managed by a board of local citizens, the trust has granted from $5,000 to $6,000 a year to EHN.

Likewise, the Teresa Treat Stearns Trust, the legacy of a Webster City pioneer, exists to benefit Webster Citians. Most years it has donated $6,000 to EHN, but didn’t do so in 2024.

The balance of funds available to EHN, in any given year, has come from small, private donations.

Today, a unique set of circumstances: increasing need, rising rents and inflated costs — and that increase in the maximum grant allowance — mean that, for the first time in its 40-year history, EHN can’t finance its operations alone.

So, it is turning to the public.

Volunteers from Webster City churches will be outside Bomgaars, Fareway and Hy-Vee today from 3 to 7 p.m. ringing bells to raise money. They’ll be at the same locations, at the same time, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 22. There will be no bell ringers at Fareway on Sundays because the store is closed.

Eligibility for assistance from EHN is simple, but explicit. You must, as Perry noted, “have a tie to Webster City.” That can be as simple as living here, working here, or just having kids in Webster City schools.

Not only is all aid distributed exclusively to benefit Webster City families, but 100% of EHN’s staff are volunteers. So 100% of donations given to the charity benefit people leading really difficult lives here in Webster City.

That’s a record few charities can match.

From the earliest days, Iowans have realized if you want something done, do it yourself. Organize, fight, and keep showing up until the job is done. That’s what the first Webster Citians did, as they looked at an empty Iowa prairie that was in need of everything, to make it a fit place to live.

They left a glorious record of philanthropy everywhere you look in Webster City: at Fuller Hall, Kendall Young Library, Webster City Community Theatre, in the Cessna scholarships, and in the above-mentioned Morrison and Treat trusts.

Now, the unique, 100% locally funded and operated charity — the last safety net for Webster Citians in need — is in need itself.

Its fate will be determined by a small group of hearty bell ringers and the good citizens they meet.