Average 200+ Volunteers Per Year
Our church partners with NC Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief and the Red Cross to provide short-term and long-term responses to those whose lives have been upended by weather related or earthquake natural disasters. This occurs in two phases:
Disaster Relief
Disaster Relief is done immediately – removing trees and debris from dwellings, placing tarps on leaking roofs, tearing out wet carpet/flooring, cabinets, sheetrock, and removing ruined personal belongings and furniture. Other volunteers also provide childcare, cook meals, deliver water, wash and dry clothing, and provide medical assistance. During this phase, much is done to listen to the stories of victims, assure them of God’s presence with them “through the storms of life,” pray with them, and when open, sharing a witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Trinity has been involved in this Relief mission in Tarboro, Grifton, Canton, Atlantic, Edenton, High Point, and Raleigh (all in NC), Melbourne, FL; Mobile, AL; Bayou La Batre, AL; Metarie, LA, and Gulfport, MS (120 different volunteers over 2 years after Hurricane Katrina).
Disaster Recovery
Disaster Recovery continues long after Relief has finished, to help families rebuild their homes and lives. Teams of volunteers (both skilled and unskilled) provide materials, labor, and hope. After Hurricane Katrina, Trinity (and thousands of other NC Baptists) committed teams of workers for two years following the storm to help the residents of Gulfport, MS get back on their feet. Trinity has also been involved in this Recovery mission in Atlantic, NC.
NC Baptist Men offers annual training in Disaster Relief/Recovery all across our state. Trinity has over 50 trained volunteers thus far in Recovery, Mass-Feeding, Childcare, and Chaplaincy, with several trained Crew Chiefs. The church has also purchased and uniquely outfitted two Disaster Relief Trailers – one for Relief/tear out, and one for Recovery/rebuild. These are maintained and ready to roll by a Trinity Disaster Relief Lead Team.
