Charity In Action is a
humanitarian and emergency services
collaborative. Conceived as a way to combine and leverage the
commitment of many individual volunteers in coordination with
established aid agencies as well as state and local governments, our
goal has been to bring rapid relief to areas where there is unmet need,
and to continue assistance into the recovery and rebuilding phases.
As mentioned in our May update, we are still conducting our fund drive to assist West Hancock Fire Rescue in Pearlington, Mississippi. It will end on September 1.
From July 21 to 27, eight Pennsylvania firefighters traveled to Mississippi to help WHFR. The group was led by Greg Jakubowski, Battalion Chief of the Lingohocken Fire Co. Read his account of the trip here, and view a few of his pictures here.
Updated August 19, 2007
Charity In Action is working to assist a fire and rescue company that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. West Hancock Fire Rescue is based in Pearlington, MS where Katrina made landfall. Every building was damaged or destroyed. Some former residents are gone; the rest are struggling to rebuild. It will be two more years before the tax base is restored for this all-volunteer fire company.
WHFR is the first responder for a 75-square-mile area that includes a section of I-10 and a large industrial port facility. Residents, tourists, and the hundreds of volunteers that come to the area to work on the rebuilding effort all count on WHFR to be there for them in an emergency. Its few members are valiantly keeping up this work while also holding paid jobs and rebuilding their homes.
The firehouse was completely destroyed. Several donated or loaned emergency vehicles are housed in a temporary shelter funded by FEMA and constructed by the Seabees. The volunteers now operate out of a trailer. FEMA does not pay for operating costs, not even fuel. The needs are great.
Charity In Action sent $5,000 to WHFR in March 2007 to cover the most immediate needs: repairing the brakes on their main truck, and buying fuel. Now we are conducting a matching funds donation drive. Charity In Action will match donations we receive for this purpose up to a total of $10,000 until 9/1/07. To receive the match, contributions should be earmarked “WHFR”. Click here to learn more about where to donate, or here to contact us for more information.
We are also working with the Bryn Athyn Fire Company in Pennsylvania. BAFC is attempting to collect donations of specific needed equipment and supplies for WHFR, and is helping us spread the word to other fire companies. In addition to donated items, WHFR also welcomes volunteer firefighters and EMTs to come down and help.
Updated May 17, 2007
Charity In Action recently sponsored a very successful service trip to Pearlington, Mississippi by a group of volunteers from Bryn Athyn College. Read an account of their experiences written by one of the group leaders here. View pictures from their trip here.
Updated March 21, 2007
We have continued to supply needed items for the Hancock County Distribution Warehouse. In September we purchased a truckload of bottled water – a total of 36,480 ½-liter bottles! These are used both for volunteer workers and for residents whose well water is unfit to drink. In October we bought 400 sheets of drywall with jointing compound and tape, 37 doors, and 30 insulated windows. These are distributed to people trying to rebuild their homes. Case managers coordinate the process, examining the circumstances of individuals and deciding where the need is greatest.
Unfortunately the Warehouse has lost its government funding and has to close in December, which puts some of the people who worked there out of a job. Several of these people plan to transfer their center of operations to the PowerHouse of Deliverance Ministry in Bay St. Louis, so that they can keep up the good work.
Charity In Action’s newest project for the future is helping young people to get involved in service. For the next three years we plan to support Bryn Athyn College in sending student service trips to work in the hurricane-damaged area. The next trip will be in spring 2007, and Charity In Action has pledged to subsidize a large portion of the cost per student and to give additional funds for building materials.
Charity In Action remains an all-volunteer organization. In this way we minimize our operating costs although we must still cover legal, tax accounting, insurance, information technology, and miscellaneous expenses. By maintaining our structure we can be ready to mobilize and respond quickly in the event of another major disaster.
Our donors and our volunteers make this possible. Thank you!
Updated December 5, 2006