for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. —Matthew 25:35-37

photo from www.ucc.org

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If you’re heartbroken over what’s happening to folks in North Carolina and other places around the Eastern USA after Helene, you are not alone! It’s the right thing to feel. But that feeling, coupled with the feeling that there’s nothing you can do to help, could be very depressing. 

Well hold on there, partner! 

There’s things you can be doing RIGHT NOW that will have a direct impact on folks suffering after Helene. Even better, I found them all right through our parent denomination, the United Church of Christ! 

From now on, when you hear about a disaster in the United States and want to help, go directly to this page. This is the Disaster Ministries home page of the UCC, and it’s got news and ways you can help. 

RESOURCES

To make a donation directly to the UCC’s Hurricane Helene Recover Appeal, follow this link. 

To serve on a Crisis Coordinator help line, follow this one. Your name will be added to a list of volunteers willing to serve on a phone bank to connect people to services. 

And if you’d like to do more as a church, we could start putting together Emergency Clean-Up Buckets, and there’s a matching grant through Church World Service to help pay for them. You can learn all about it here. 

Hopes and prayers are fine, but if you’re eager to help now, follow these links, and let your fellow Pilgrims know what you’re up to. Help can be on the way when we spend some of our time and resources serving God’s children in need! 

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash