CEDAR FALLS - More than five months after the disasters that rocked the Cedar Valley, life has returned to normal for many.

But for others, recovery is still a struggle.

Our Shepherd's Closet founder Becky King said about a dozen people per week filter in to get help, mostly with home furnishings, clothing or other items they lost in the flood or tornado of the spring and early summer.

"It's not over. There are still people out there without furnaces. There are people out there living in homes still caked with mud," King said. "Until we've served the last desperate person, we're not going to quit."

Jim Taylor, who lives in the Cedar City area of Cedar Falls, is one of those people still in recovery mode. He and his wife spent more than four months living in an RV on their property as they worked to rebuild their home after the flood. Two weeks ago they moved back into the house, but they still have finishing work to do. They found out about Our Shepherd's Closet through word of mouth and went to them to get dishes, kitchenware and a vacuum.

"Those people have done some great things. They've really helped people," Taylor said. "When I get done here I'll probably do some volunteer work for them."

Today, Our Shepherd's Closet operates out of a city-owned warehouse at 9301 University Ave. The organization started when King loaded up her van with basic supplies and drove to New Hartford and Parkersburg looking to help after the tornado.

Now the group, an entirely local volunteer effort, seeks official Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and is making plans to be a more permanent part of the community.

Our Shepherd's Closet started out storing goods in King's garage, then moved to a larger RV garage before taking up some space donated by Holdiman Motors. It later moved to a Waterloo site at Adams Furniture before moving to the site in Cedar Falls a few weeks ago.

Assistant director Janet Bradley said Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews found the space for them.

"He basically said you're too big of an asset to this community to fold," Bradley said.

They focus primarily on matching up donated goods with people in need but have also helped people find contractors willing to give free or discounted work to homeowners.

Our Shepherd's Closet made its mark primarily by networking and word of mouth, both for finding victims needing assistance and for volunteers and donations.

They have helped flood victims get new furnaces, refrigerators and washers and dryers. They currently have the most need for dressers, followed by washers and dryers.

To volunteer at Our Shepherd's Closet or to arrange an appointment to receive assistance contact them at (319) 236-6123 or by e-mail at ourshepherdscloset@mchsi.com.

Contact Jon Ericson at (319) 291-1461 or jonathan.ericson@wcfcourier.com.