Volunteer Opportunities

Cleaning buckets are urgently needed in Midwest Mission Distribution Center

A special plea has gone out from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) for cleaning buckets. The southern Illinois and Indiana tornadoes have used up hundreds of these buckets. The Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Ill., has only 2,085 UMCOR Cleaning Buckets on hand. One or two calls could wipe out the MMDC supply. Spring rains and flooding will soon be upon us, therefore, your church’s help is needed to restock the center’s Cleaning Bucket supply, so that United Methodists will be able to supply storm survivors of Cleaning Buckets. For more information about the contents of these five-gallon wonder buckets, click www.midwestmissiondc.net/Projects/UMCOR%20Cleaning%20Bucket.pdf and share the information with your members. For more information about the Midwest Mission Distribution Center or if you wish to talk to someone at the center, visit www.midwestmissiondc.org or call 217-483-7911. The center is local at 1022 New City Road in Chatham, Ill., just south of Springfield.

Free online webinar about disaster response coming from CWS

Church World Service Emergency Response Program continues to hold a series of free webinars on various aspects of long term recovery. Details and registration information can be found at www.cwserp.org.

The schedule for the next several webinars:

• May 1 and 2: Long Term Recovery Basics
  This series of 50 minute webinars over two days will introduce the concepts and best practices that communities employ for effective long term recovery.

Additional information about the domestic disaster ministry of Church World Service may be found here.

Northern Illinois Conference needs flood clean-up assistance

On behalf and at the request of Northern Illinois Conference Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, this is an invitation to assist in clean up from recent flooding. Seven Illinois counties have been declared disaster areas, with the south-side of Chicago especially hard hit. There is a process in place to identify homes most in need of help, those of the elderly and others unable to clean up for themselves. The primary work is 'mucking out' basements, many of which have belongings from more than 20 years of residency. This has resulted in each home taking more clean-up time than had been originally anticipated. Hundreds of Cook County residents still need help. If your church has Early Response Teams available and willing to give a few days to ministry on the south side of Chicago, please contact the Rev. Christina Vosteen (office@umcplano.org). We will help to coordinate time and efforts here.

Early Response Teams are being accepted now in Tennessee

The Tennessee Conference UM Relief Coordinator, Jason Brock, has indicated that Early Response Teams are being accepted to help with the cleanup from the recent floods in the Nashville area. If you are trained as an early responder and have a group ready to serve, please contact Jason Brock DisasterResponse@tnumc.com or 615-329-1177 (office) or 615-695-2765 (hotline). Volunteers may register online and keep updated via a blog that has been set up for that purpose. Thanks to those who are ready to serve in such times.

 – David Powell, Indiana Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator, davidpowell@danvilleumc.org
and Bonnie Albert, Indiana Conference UMVIM Coordinator, bonkay@hotmail.com

Iowa Disaster Response team needs ERT help

The severe flooding of the Skunk River in Iowa has caused havoc in the community of Ames and is progressing southward thru Colfax and parts of Des Moines. Trish Burkett, Disaster Response coordinator for the Iowa Conference UMC says they may be needing ERT teams within the next week or two. If you could mobilize your teams for this possibility it would be helpful. For more information, contact Trish Burkett, 808 King St., Bedford, IA 50833, call 712-427-9014 or e-mail Disaster.Response@iaumc.org.

Urgent help needed in flood relief in Colfax, Iowa

Pastor Cindy Finn of First UMC in Colfax, Iowa, says the town needs URGENT HELP to muck and gut homes. The fire station in Colfax is ready to accept volunteers. Please call Wendy at the EMS Office at 515-674-9113 if you are able to help. For more information, call Becky Wood, Director of Recovery and Volunteer Coordinator for the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church, 2200 Heritage Green Drive, Hiawatha, IA 52233 or phone 515-238-5346.