BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green, Kentucky, was devastated by tornadoes earlier this month. 

Now, its sister city here in Ohio is helping out with a fundraiser for those left homeless by the deadly storms. 

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Bowling Green, Ohio, raised $31,267 for its sister city

  • Bowling Green, Ohio, and Bowling Green, Kentucky are almost four hundred miles apart

  • The Bowling Green tornado has been rated an EF-3

Jim Grames owns the Sweet Spot bakery in Bowling Green, Ohio. 

"It is a tragedy for any city to go through that type of devastation," said Grames.

He donated more than 200 doughnuts for a fundraiser to help those displaced by the deadly tornadoes that hit Bowling Green, Kentucky, earlier this month.

Families need a place to go, so it's essential that the families have a place to go and spend Christmas together and stay together as a family," said Grames.

It's a fundraising effort that was initiated at the city level.

"Our Chamber of Commerce reached out to the Chamber of Commerce in Bowling Green, Kentucky," said Mary Hinkelman

Hinkelman is the executive director of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce. 

The moneys raised are for shelter. 

"The donations we sent to them were being used to put people in apartments and temporary housing, helping get their utilities paid so they can start getting their life back in order," said Hinkelman. 

Bowling Green raised more than $32,000 for Kentucky. 

People were pleasantly surprised they could collect so much. 

"It was awesome. I didn't think that they would raise that amount of money. I guess I was thinking more in the neighborhood about half of that, but that just shows the great support this community has for its sister city," said Grames. 

The money was wired from one sister city to the other in the true holiday spirit of giving. ​

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