Thank you from Endicott, New York

A house following Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene in New York in 2011 — FEMA, Elissa Jun

"In September 2011, Tropical Storm Lee left over 12 inches of rain in 24 hours, causing some of the most catastrophic flooding southern New York had ever seen.  Of 15,000 residents who registered for FEMA assistance, only 2,129 had flood insurance. Past experience with flooding taught us that we had to come together and work jointly.   Faith Partners in Recovery, formed in early 2012, was a group of faith-based organizations united by the same goal: to help families who didn’t have adequate resources get back into their homes and be restored physically and spiritually. A project manager was hired, and four hospitality sites were set up for mission teams. 

"As we completed our 125th {work} site late in 2013, a thank you just seemed so inadequate for all the volunteers who cared and helped rebuild those impacted by the flood.  More than 54,000 hours were given by over 1,700 volunteers, some who came back time and time again.  They helped restore people’s physical lives — but more importantly, they showed Christ’s love spiritually to these homeowners, praying with them daily as we worked side by side with them.  May God continue to bless the volunteers and those they assisted!"

Written by Sharon Early, First Presbyterian Church of Endicott, New York, one of the volunteer hosting sites