Congregations Come Together to Help Hurricane Victims

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this  nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another.” – Erma Bombeck, American Humorist

They came together from sixteen different local congregations and organizations, yet they shared one vision – to help those affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate. On Thursday night, fifty volunteers joined with Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern PA (LDR-EPA) for a Cleanup Kit Rally at Christ Lutheran Church in Kulpsville, PA.

“It was exhilarating seeing so many people find a tangible way they could help,” said Julia Menzo, director of community outreach for LDR-EPA. Volunteers were asked to contribute supplies needed for the kits to their home congregation; the congregations then brought the supplies to the rally. “We accepted donations large and small. If you could only give your congregation one box of trash bags, or a few bottles of dish soap, every donation was accepted to become part of the larger collection and donation. People who didn’t think they could help were able to do so through this project.”

Supplies included in the cleanup kits are a 5-gallon round bucket, liquid laundry detergent, liquid household cleaner, dish soap, a clothesline, clothespins, sponges, trash bags, cleaning wipes, air freshener, gloves, scouring pads, insect repellent and more. Complete instructions can be found here. The cleanup kits are valued at $65 each and built following a list provided by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The kits will be distributed to UMCOR to areas still recovering from the recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Our heartfelt thanks to those who participated from:

• Christ Lutheran Church of Harleysville
• Christ Lutheran Church of Springtown
• Grace Lutheran Church of Hatfield
• Liberty Lutheran Services
• Little Zion Lutheran Church of Telford
• Montgomery County Department of Public Safety
• John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Morrisville
• John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ridge Valley
• John’s Lutheran Church of Folcraft
• John’s Lutheran Church of Richlandtown
• John’s Lutheran Church of Spinnerstown
• John’s Lutheran Church of Sumneytown
• The Confirmation class from Trinity Lutheran of Lansdale
• The Kids Co-Op from Bethlehem
• Thrivent Financial

LDR-EPA’s depth of experience in long-term recovery and wide network of disaster partners enables us to efficiently connect survivors with the appropriate resources, coordinate a corps of volunteers to assist with recovery, and provide congregations with the training and resources needed to best serve impacted communities.

If you would like further information on how you can help, or would like to make a donation to Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern PA, please visit Libertylutheran.org/ldr.