Be Ready to Help in a Disaster

Story by V. Michelle Bernard

“Disasters are happening all around us. We need to be prepared to do our best for Jesus,” says Mike Gill, Adventist Community Services (ACS) and Disaster Response director for the New Jersey Conference.

Members from New Jersey and beyond are invited to attend the conference’s ACS Disaster Response Training, October 19–20, at the Adventist Community Service Center in Lawrenceville.

Gill explains that the Seventh-day Adventist Church fills a niche in donation operations during declared disasters. “We pack and provide personal care kits for those displaced from their homes. We also pack and distribute ‘flood buckets’ containing various cleaning supplies needed after flooding. [But] the best work we do is warehousing.”

Across North America, many states call on Adventists to operate multi-agency warehouses. The New Jersey Conference did this following Hurricane Sandy, where volunteers and staff oversaw $50 million worth of donated goods. On weekends they distributed $1 million worth of items, Gill reports, adding that they have agreements with the state asserting they will serve again in the same capacity the next time an emergency is declared.

The October training will prepare future volunteers for the operations needed in a disaster. Find registration information here.