Volunteer Host Site: Ft. Myers, FL
Host Site Coordinator: Rodney Green
Contact: 239-257-8648
Email: rlgreen1963@gmail.com
Website: www.buckinghampc.org
Address: 4241 Buckingham Rd. Ft. Myers, FL 33905
Presbytery: Peace River Presbytery
Disaster: Hurricane Ian
Cost: $20 per person per night
Sleeping Accommodations: Classrooms have been converted to sleeping rooms to host your work team. Portable twin beds with mattresses and a pillow are provided. You will need to bring linens or a sleeping bag to place on your bed as well as a pillowcase. Separate rooms are provided and sleeping arrangements will be determined by the group leader.
Shower: A portable shower building is provided just a few steps away from the sleeping quarters. It is necessary to go outside to the building so keep that in mind when packing. Traditional church restrooms are across the hall from the sleeping quarters.
Kitchen: The church kitchen is available for your work team to prepare breakfast and any other meals you choose to prepare. Volunteer work teams are expected to prepare and/or pay for all their own meals. A full-size refrigerator is dedicated for your use. Two grocery stores are nearby as well as fast food restaurants.
Other Amenities:
- Fish Fry: The World-Famous Buckingham Fish Fry is held once a month during “season” (November through April)—there’s a good chance a Fish Fry may be one of your evening meals.
- Weather: The weather in Southwest Florida is warm most of the year!
About the church: The history of Buckingham Presbyterian Church is one of faith, hope and love in action. In the late 1970’s the New Church Development Committee of the Peace River Presbytery chose East Fort Myers to begin a new church. A church is a fellowship of love, and we had become that. A building committee had begun in 1983 and a building drive was undertaken. Less than 60 families pledged to start giving regularly to the dream of building our own church building. On Mother’s Day, 1985 we held our first service in our own building. The Fellowship Hall and classrooms were dedicated on November 17th of that year. We were a body of Christ held together by love and commitment to a dream. Today we are a small church seeking to help our community recover from Hurricane Ian. We look forward to welcoming you to our campus!
About the disaster: Hurricane Ian slammed into the southwestern coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 28, 2022, ultimately becoming the deadliest storm to hit Florida since 1935 with a death toll of more than 100 people. Winds reached 150 miles per hour, with storm surges of 12-18 feet in some areas. Even after the hurricane moved inland and was downgraded to a tropical storm, extreme rainfall caused flooding and damage across the state. “In general, it’s going to take years — especially in the places hit the hardest — years to rebuild,” says Kathy Broyard, executive director of the Florida Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Network (FLAPDAN). “There is no ‘going back to normal.’ It’s more of finding a new normal, and people adapt.” To learn more, click here.
To learn more about our PDA Host Site or to schedule a time to volunteer, contact Rodney Green at 239-257-8648 or rlgreen1963@gmail.com.
