Posted on August 29, 2006

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Volunteers Help Mississippi Recover From Katrina

The Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service estimates that more than two hundred and fifty organizations nationwide have deployed volunteers to assist in relief and recovery efforts in coastal areas of the state devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the Sun Herald reports.

Sponsored by churches and nonprofit organizations from across the country, volunteers traveling solo or in groups, office teams, congregation members, and others have fanned out across South Mississippi, with many having visited more than once, often with recruits in tow.

Over the last year, residents' needs have changed, but getting the displaced back in their homes remains the main goal. In the small community of D'Iberville, for example, more than four hundred and fifty damaged properties have been made livable again by volunteers, while another three hundred, identifiable by the blue tarps nailed to their rooftops, are scheduled for work.

The profile of the typical volunteer also seems to have changed with the seasons. Immediately after the storm, most were retirees with experience in disaster response, while during the spring thousands of college students headed south during their spring break. More recently, many families with school-aged children have volunteered some or all of their summer vacation time. "So many people are repeat visitors," said Mike Malkemes, camp director for CORE, based locally at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs and sponsored by two Houston churches. "The impact has been phenomenal."

Smith, Quincy. “Volunteers Reach Out to Get South Mississippi on Its Feet.” Mississippi Sun Herald 8/28/06.

Primary Subject: Philanthropy and Voluntarism
Secondary Subject(s): Hurricane Relief
Location(s): Mississippi

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