St. Bernard Project - New York was excited to work with the First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte (FPCC) a few weeks ago. The North Carolina-based group – like many of our volunteer teams last month – came to us through the national VOAD Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), a Friends of Rockaway partner. Per the PDA website, “Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic event.” SBP is grateful to PDA for its past service in our disaster-affected communities, and looks forward to continued collaboration with the group.
According to one FPCC volunteer, her team spent its day in the Rockaways as “general laborers -- we hauled bags of sand!” They were also able to tile a floor and complete some demolition work, much to the enjoyment of the group. Volunteers appreciated their experience with SBP because they “got to know the homeowners,” “get to finish the job,” and “like the feeling of helping repair places and things that people may have forgotten about.” Their favorite part of serving with FoR, however, was “the relationships you make with homeowners, staff, and other volunteers.”
Members of FPCC offered several pieces of advice to future volunteers. They stressed “staying flexible,” “showing up with an open heart,” and “no matter your skill level, participate!” as essential mindsets for volunteering. Most of all, they wanted to remind people that “disaster recovery still needs help!” Thanks for all your hard work, First Presbyterian Church of Charlotte -- we hope to see you out here in the Rockaways again soon!
