Faith Without Borders: Disaster Response Team

Construction Missions
   Dominican Republic

Dental Missions
   Dominican Republic

Disaster Response Team
   Local NWI Flood Relief
   Local Tornado Flood Relief
   Local Fire Disaster Relief

Flood Relief Missions
   Iowa

Hurricane Relief Missions
   New Orleans

Medical Missions
   Dominican Republic
   Peru

Medical Supply Ministry

Orphan Sponsorship
   Ministry
   Dominican Republic
   Sierra Leone: Savior of the
   World Children's Center

Return to Ministries
>Listed Alphabetically
>Listed by Commission

Disaster Response Team

The Disaster Response Team (DRT) works in partnership with Catholic Charities, American Red Cross of Northwest Indiana, and Regional Area United Way supported agencies to assist people who are negatively impacted by natural or other disasters. The scope of volunteer assistance can range from general clean up, mucking and gutting houses, home repairs, offering baked goods, or simply sitting with and listening to homeowners while offering emotional support.

DRT focuses on local disasters up to and including a 100 mile radius from St. John, Indiana. This distance enables a volunteer to provide aid with a flexible commitment of time as they may travel to and from the location independent of a group that may carpool.

Faith Without Borders ministries are open to people of all faiths, those without any church affiliation, as well as to people of all communities and states.

Opportunities to Get Involved

Volunteer to muck, gut, clean, sweep, sanitize, repair and/or repair homes that have been negatively impacted by disasters.

Typically the volunteer work is done on Fridays, Saturdays and/or Sundays.

Typical volunteer hours range from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., or however many hours as a volunteer can offer.

Donations are accepted including tools and other home repair supplies.

Offer monetary donations to the Foundation for Peace & Social Justice to support this Faith Without Borders ministry and other Peace & Social Justice ministries.

How to Volunteer

Ministry Coordinator: Mary Anne Koke
Contact Ministry Coordinator: (219) 776-3381
Email: fwb@stjohnparish.org

Call to get your name, phone number, and email on the database.

Notices of prearranged volunteer projects are sent out by email or via a phone call if you do not have an email address.

If an emergency disaster occurs, phone calls are made to volunteer members.

If you can respond to the call for help, additional details will be provided such as meeting location to carpool if interested.

You inform the Ministry Coordinator approximately how many hours you can volunteer.

If you have a schedule conflict and can not commit to assist with the call for help, no problem, your name remains on the list to be notified for the next scheduled volunteer project or disaster that may occur.

Complete and sign the Liability Release Form and submit to the Coordinator upon arrival to volunteer.

Recent Activity

During 2008, DRT worked in collaboration with St. Joseph the Carpenter Ministry to provide clean up and home repair work for a family that had home fire who was referred to DRT by American Red Cross. In August 2008, when tornados left a path of destruction through Northwest Indiana, DRT was one of the first responders.

In September 2008 as torrential rains began to flood neighborhoods, DRT was called by the Schererville Fire Chief requesting a call out of our team members to sandbag, set up a shelter at their town hall, and to go out to neighborhoods on a school bus driven by a police officer to rescue stranded homeowners.

The September storms were devastating, leaving over 12,000 flood victims in Lake County, Indiana to seek relief from FEMA as well as from volunteer groups to aid with clean up. For 10 consecutive weekends, Disaster Response Team members responded to the call for help. In February 2009, over 160 Lake County residents were discovered to still need mucking and gutting. Disaster Response Team continues to assist and recruit volunteers with clean up and for the estimated two year rebuild phase.

News and Recognition