Volunteering in Florida – Day 2

On their second day in Florida on October 2, 2017, the 13 IRFF volunteers traveled south from the beautiful Lake Placid Camp to Palmdale to continue their outreach and needs-assessment efforts.

There, they met a friendly bystander named Terry. Terry was a local living in Palmdale who had taken his personal time to support those in need in the area with truly a heart of giving. Inspired by the selflessness of this friendly and encouraging man, the team resumed their door-to-door assessment of the area and were able to find that many of the members of the Palmdale community had contacted or been contacted by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)  and other forms of relief services.

After getting a better sense of how to reach out to the community, the volunteers headed to Moore Haven, just south of Palmdale. While in the area, they came across several FEMA volunteers who were also going door-to-door passing out contact flyers to the households. One participant reached out to Dr. Ron Patterson of Christian Disaster Relief, concerned that the volunteers’ services may not be needed since FEMA volunteers were in the area. “We are taking care of the people with faith, whereas FEMA is a government service,” said Dr. Paterson.

With Dr. Paterson’s reminder, the volunteers remembered that they have something truly precious to offer: hearts of love. “We could really get a feel that this relief service was not just an external project but something that involved our internal investment,” said Monica Schaepfer. 

For more stories and updates on our disaster relief efforts, stay tuned on our Facebook Page, YouTube, and Website!

At this time we are in need for more donations to support our volunteers. A $50 donation will support 1 volunteer for 1 day. Every little bit helps!