ATLANTA (ABP) — In a small coastal Alabama town ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Alabama branch of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering to provide assistance to residents, most of whom lost everything.
Alabama CBF is joining efforts with Volunteers of America, a national faith-based group, to help residents in Bayou La Batre, Ala., a community dependent on its seafood industry.
“Most of the folks lost everything. There are a lot of them who are out of money, out of a place to live. They have no family, and they don't know what to do,” said Paul McClendon, who works with Volunteers of America Southeast, which is located in nearby Mobile, Ala.
Volunteers will operate shelters; distribute food, water and clothing; and prepare housing for future volunteers who will do repair and rebuilding work. McClendon said about 15 people spent Sept. 1 at the shelter with the anticipation of many more spending the night under one of the few roofs left in the area.
Volunteers of America and Alabama CBF have worked together with Sowing Seeds of Hope, a CBF rural-poverty initiative site in Perry County, said Alabama CBF coordinator Mart Gray. Alabama CBF is also preparing boxes of personal items for hurricane victims in the community.
Financial contributions are the most valuable to the Fellowship's relief efforts, according to David Harding, the Fellowship's Orlando-based international coordinator for emergency response.
“Our first request is that people send cash … so we can buy materials closer to the [disaster] situation,” Harding said. “It will also help the local economy rebuild.”
Specific gift-in-kind donations are being accepted, including plywood, portable generators, nails and water coolers. Items will only be accepted if they are on the donation list accessible on the Fellowship's website.
“The gifts-in-kind will be used by volunteers when sites are designated. We will not have a shipping address until CBF volunteers begin to work in the region,” said Laura Cadena, the Fellowship's missions partnership relationship manager.
Donors must pay the shipping costs to the region. For more gift-in-kind information, contact Laura Cadena at the Fellowship.
Timothy Wood, CBF's volunteer-missions program manager, said he does not anticipate sending volunteers to the disaster region until later this month. Assessment teams were expected to arrive in the region over Labor Day weekend, requiring three or four days to determine where the Fellowship's efforts will be most effective.
“CBF is not a first responder. It's not a disaster-relief organization. It's a fellowship of churches, yet we are committed to doing the best we can where we can,” he said.
Volunteers must be 18 years old, preferably with plumbing, electrical or roofing skills. Volunteers will also be needed for clean up and debris removal. The latest information on what items and volunteer skills are needed is available on the Fellowship website.
— Carla Wynn is a news writer for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
— Photos available from ABP.
Contacts: Laura Cadena, (800) 782-2451 or [email protected]; Timothy Wood, (800) 782-2451 or [email protected]; Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, www.thefellowship.info/landing/relief.icm