Helping with flood relief and assistance

Churches around the diocese are still working hard to help our neighbors in the Pee Dee-Waccamaw Deanery whose homes have been damaged or lost in the catastrophic flooding following Hurricane Florence. 

Churches in the area have been stepping up their long-standing outreach partnerships with organizations that provide food and other relief, including Helping Hands ministries in the Grand Strand area. And churches in other parts of the diocese are collecting money and goods, and beginning to organize volunteers.

On October 5, Diocesan Ministry Developer Andrea McKellar and the Rev. Rob Donehue of St. Anne's, Conway visited several sites, including the James R. Frazier Recreation Center in Bucksport, where they delivered a pallet of flood buckets donated by the United Methodist Church, and about $500 in gift cards to help people buy necessities.

According to Fr. Donehue, Bucksport is one of the hardest hit areas in the state, and many of the residents of Bucksport are going to be out of their homes for a long time. Rob and Andrea met with local leaders including the Rev. Cheryl Adamson from Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church, a long-time friend and partner in ministry with St. Anne's; Betty Gause, head volunteer and associate director at the rec center, and "Mother Mary" Moore, the Rev. Adamson's mother.

Archdeacon Callie Walpole was at St. Anne's to celebrate and preach on October 7. She and Fr. Donehue were joined by Lura Steele and The Rev. Canon Carl Andrews of Episcopal Relief & Development, who are assisting with the organization's "boots on the ground" efforts in the region and attended the service. They gave the congregation an updatte on the work Episcopal Relief & Development has been doing in hard-hit areas of the Carolinas.  

Ways you can help

A Diocesan Disaster Relief Fund has been established for donations to be used specifically within our diocese for flooding and other disaster relief. To make a gift online, click here and choose "Disaster Relief " as the selected fund. Checks also can be sent to the Diocesan Office, with "Disaster Relief" in the memo line, to PO Box 20485, Charleston, SC, 29413.

Episcopal Relief and Development also continues to collect donations for its Hurricane Relief Fund, which benefits areas in the Carolinas affected by Florence and other storm-ravaged communities. Make a donation here.

Volunteers can help with removing debris and damaged building materials at homes. People can use Episcopal Relief & Development's Ready to Serve signup form.