In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which ravaged Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have been diligently assisting the impacted communities for over three weeks.
Dwain Carter, the director of Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief, described the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as a whirlwind. He emphasized the unprecedented scale of the storm and the subsequent response by GBDR, labeling it as the largest in Georgia’s history.
GBDR has already prepared close to 400,000 meals and has received over 3,700 requests for chainsaw assistance. These numbers are expected to increase significantly as GBDR plans to expand the number of response sites in the upcoming days.
Disaster relief response sites are currently active in Augusta, Alma/Douglas, Vidalia, Statesboro, and Valdosta. To further expand their reach, new sites will be established in Sandersville, Swainsboro, McRae, Louisville, and Wrens.
According to Sprinkel, there was a man who owned his own tree-cutting service and came with his crew and all the necessary equipment to start removing trees. The man informed his employees that he was going to Georgia to offer assistance, and they all volunteered to join him.
Last week, Sprinkel received information that a group from north Georgia, led by state Rep. Brent Cox of District 28, had brought a smoker and was in the process of preparing Boston butts. Sprinkel reached out to them and they generously offered to distribute 75 Boston butts to families who have been affected by the situation.
“I immediately agreed to go to Douglas, which was about 60 miles away,” Sprinkel recalled. “I hopped in my car and made the journey without hesitation.” As Sprinkel made his way to Douglas, his fellow volunteers wasted no time in compiling a list of families who would benefit from the generous donation. After collecting four cans filled with savory meat, Sprinkel made his way back to Vidalia, ready to bring a much-needed meal to those in need.”
“When I returned,” he remembered, “our cleanup and recovery teams from Georgia and Oklahoma were patiently waiting for me.” The volunteers efficiently repacked the steaming hot pork butts and made them ready for delivery. Meanwhile, other dedicated volunteers were already assigned addresses and promptly set off as soon as the meals were packed. Remarkably, within just an hour and a half, every single meal had been successfully delivered to the families in need.
According to Sprinkel, the hot meal provided to certain families was their first in weeks. He expressed his overwhelming response to the situation and how it inspired him and his team to offer additional assistance to these families. Tears of gratitude were seen throughout.
