Matt Brodie, disaster response coordinator for the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church, delivers hundreds of health kits assembled by UM churches across the state to Harvest Hope Food Bank, which will distribute them to those displaced by Hurricane Matthew.
Need help? Call the disaster response hotline of the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church at 800-390-4911 or email screcovery@umcsc.org.
Even before the winds picked up and the rains set in, the good work of South Carolina United Methodists was being felt by those affected by Hurricane Matthew.
Nearly 300 pounds of health kits – assembled for refugees from the storm by volunteers at United Methodist churches across the state – were delivered to Harvest Hope Food Bank in Columbia last week in anticipation of Matthew’s arrival.
“When we see a disaster, Christian men and women feel the need to do something tangible for their communities – to be the hands and feet of Christ,” said Matt Brodie, disaster response coordinator for the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church. “These health kits are going to be used to make a difference.”
The simple kits contain basic hygiene products – washcloth, hand towel, soap, toothbrush, bandages, nail clipper, comb – that often get left behind when disaster strikes.
Harvest Hope is distributing the zippered-lock bags, along with staples from its food pantry, to those in need at storm shelters and other locations along the coast this week.
The S.C. Methodist Conference has a longstanding relationship with Harvest Hope, centered largely on support for the non-profit’s food bank.
Both organizations are members of South Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, a forum through which non-profit and volunteer organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the emergency management cycle – preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation – to help disaster survivors and communities across the state affected by disaster.
Through S.C. VOAD, Harvest Hope officials reached out the S.C. Methodist Conference for help preparing for the hurricane’s arrival in the state.
Mary Louise Resch, Harvest Hope’s government relations, disaster and grants manager, said the kits are headed to coastal communities hit hardest by the hurricane.
“If you ever have to evacuate on short notice, you take only the necessities,” she said, “and that might not include personal care items – the things we normally take for granted. During a disaster, you don’t realize you need it until you need it.
“These people are already under stress. We want to take one of those stressers away, and if it’s as simple as giving them toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, then that’s a lot.”
Those everyday items become a “highly coveted resource” for those forced out of their homes or staying in a shelter, Resch said.
“It makes such a huge difference for someone who has lost everything to have the simplest of items.”
Nearly 300 pounds of health kits assembled by S.C. United Methodist churches are being distributed to those affected by Hurricane Matthew.
The health kits delivered to Harvest Hope will only begin to address the needs left in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Brodie said. More kits – as well as cleaning (flood) bucket kits – are needed as residents continue to deal with flooding.
“We try to have these kits created before there’s a disaster so they can be ready to be distributed immediately,” he said. “Now, we’re going to need to replenish that supply.”
The United Methodist Committee on Relief provides easy, step-by-step instructions for how to assemble health kits, cleaning (flood) bucket kits and other needed items at its website, umcor.org. The kits can be delivered to the S.C. Conference Center at 4908 Colonial Drive in Columbia. Please do not bring unsolicited items to the Conference Center.
How else can you help?
- Donate financially to the S.C. Conference’s disaster relief efforts at umcsc.org/data/disasterresponsedonation.php.
- Get trained to be an Early Response Team volunteer. The next ERT training is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church, 1500 Broad River Road, Columbia. To register, call Gail Corn at 803-786-9486. For more information about ERT training, go to org/home/emergency-response-team-training.
- The S.C. Conference is soliciting donations (or loans) of GPS devices that ERT teams can use to help get to their destinations safely. Please call or email disaster response coordinator Matt Brodie at 803-786-9486 or mbrodie@umcsc.org if you can help.
You can also contribute financially to Harvest Hope Food Bank at donate.harvesthope.org.
What else can you do?
“Pray for families who are impacted by this disaster through loss of property and livelihood,” said S.C. Resident Bishop Jonathan Holston. “Pray for first responders and all those who put themselves in harm’s way to care for the vulnerable in our midst. Pray that communities will come together and forge stronger relationships and connections in the recovery process. Pray for God’s sustaining grace through it all.”
