Volunteers Bring Hope

During the past three months, SMHA's Rural Recovery Task Force mobilized and coordinated over 200 volunteers from throughout the country to help more than 150 families in hurricane-ravaged South Louisiana. The repair of 75 homes has been completed and another 75 are in the works, with more than 100 on a waiting list.

In most cases this meant:

• Removing furniture and debris;
• Cleaning and gutting the homes and removing insulation;
• Treating the houses for mold and letting them dry; and
• Reinstalling insulation and refinishing the walls.

Some Vermont volunteers told the story of their "Hurricane Relief Trip" in a PowerPoint presentation. Click here for excerpts showing the devastation they saw and the step-by-step process they followed as part of SMHA’s Rural Recovery Task Force to help make homes livable again.


Vermont volunteers (wearing T shirts) help the Rosser family from Erath (center)

This story is being played out many times over as SMHA works in the field to give the people of South Louisiana help and hope.

If your church or college is interested in sending a team of volunteers to work with the Rural Recovery Task Force, contact Judy Herring at SMHA@SouthernMutualHelp.org. If you would like to make a contribution to support this work, click here.


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