Press Releases

SIKESTON, MO – Today, Congressman Jason Smith presented the Mayor of Pinhook with a $1,000 donation to help the community rebuild after their homes were washed away in a 2011 flood. Smith met with Pinhook Mayor, Debra Tarver and Kyle Schott from Catholic Charities, whose organization is helping the community rebuild, to discuss progress on the current housing project.

“The Pinhook community has been strong and resilient during this time and it’s incredible to see how many folks have given their time and resources to help provide permanent housing to a number of the Pinhook families who have been displaced,” said Congressman Smith. “It’s truly humbling to watch other communities embrace them and support their rebuilding efforts. I’m honored to be a small part of the process.”

“We feel so blessed to have Congressman Smith’s help with brining our community back together,” said Pinhook Mayor Debra Tarver. “The Congressman’s donation gets us one step closer to giving the seniors in our community some stability, getting their homes back and recovering what was lost in the flood.” 

After an extended period of historic rains, the Village of Pinhook was completely washed away after the Army Corps of Engineers strategically blew a levee on the Mississippi River in 2011 to stop a pattern of devastating floods all along the Mississippi River. 

Recently, Pinhook received a $39,180 grant and is rebuilding seven homes right by each other in Sikeston city limits, one home north of Sikeston and one home in Charleston. Catholic Charities is helping coordinate the rebuilding process and Mennonite Disaster Services from Ohio are donating labor. Groundbreaking for the new homes was on January 26, 2018, and they are looking to complete the project before Pinhook Day on May 26, 2018.

When asked about why he chose to donate his salary from last month’s government shutdown, Smith said, “If your government isn't working for you, then your elected officials should not get paid, it's that simple. There are many important causes like rebuilding Pinhook happening all across Missouri and all are a better recipients of funds than politicians who can’t keep the basic functions of your government running.”

Smith’s donation to the Village of Pinhook is the first shutdown-salary donation the Congressman will be making. Additional donation stops to charitable causes will be announced in the coming weeks. You can click here to watch Congressman Smith’s full statement on donating his shutdown salary to charities in Missouri.