Recent hurricanes left many communities devastated and facing a long road to recovery. It’s in times like these, we must all come together to support our neighbors as they try to move forward. Today, One America Appeal, a campaign launched by the five living former U.S. presidents, announced that the effort has raised $31 million to help communities reeling from the multiple natural disasters. This includes support from the Walton Family Foundation.

It’s an honor to join One America Appeal’s more than 80,000 donors who have acted to help those in need. And, it’s important that we all make the most productive use of our resources and expertise. So in addition to support for One America Appeal, the foundation is providing funding to assist partners and communities with whom we work on a regular basis.

We recognize the impact of the storms on many of our grantees. These are the individual organizations children and families count on every day. They lead the way toward achieving the foundation’s longstanding goals of improving K-12 education and protecting our environment in ways that also protect jobs and economies. We want to help them recover as well as better understand the impacts of these storms to help prevent and mitigate damage from future natural disasters. The Walton Family Foundation has committed $18 million, in total, to the recovery efforts and other partners.

There is no quick fix to recovery. It requires the tremendous spirit of individuals and families supporting one another and the steady support of many. Our country has risen to many challenges, and we are at our best when we do it together with participation from all sectors – business, government, nonprofits and philanthropy.