Amish Disaster Relief…At A Distance
This is a neat video showing volunteers putting together pre-built homes right in the heart of Holmes County, Ohio – Charm, to be precise – but destined for families struck by disaster hours away, in West Virginia and Dayton, Ohio.
Amish have traveled to the sites of disasters to help clean up and reconstruct for decades now. But this effort via Mennonite Disaster Service expands the opportunity for volunteers to contribute. It’s for those who want to donate their time and building skills, but who might be prevented by the need to travel far from home (by the way, I don’t mean to give short shrift to any non-Amish volunteers here, it’s just that I only see mostly or only Amish involved in this particular project).
In the video, Morris Stutzman from MDS says that this program “gives them the opportunity to start their legacy of volunteering.” Local business Keim is also heavily involved, and has totally funded two of these projects, Stutzman explains. He also points out that “if we have someone volunteering when they’re young – guess what, they will volunteer throughout their life.”
In addition to young folks there are also a good number of older ones in this video who I’d guess can appreciate this form of volunteering as well. Men with families or gray beards who might manage better staying closer to home. Amishman Gid Yoder of Disaster Aid Ohio adds that “people want to serve, and it’s really all glory and honor to God.”
The video finishes with some basic stats on this build – it took 55 volunteers two days to build six homes for families in need following the tornado and flood disasters in OH and WV. Well done!
Hat-tip to Steven Nolt
