The outpouring of support, prayer, and offers of help in response to Hurricane Irma has been ASTOUNDING! Thank you so much!
Order of Service for Service of Prayer for Those Affected by Tragedy and Disaster:
Below are some quick answers to questions we are getting frequently:
- What kind of help is needed at this point?
Your financial donations are still very much needed. The needs change daily. Financial gifts are the most flexible. Your gifts make it possible for the synod to provide fast and effective support to communities. Already the donations have helped us support the cost of removing a tree that fell on a fence of a daycare, assist a congregation with the cost of roof repair, buy WalMart gift cards to share with families still without power who lost food, and send donations to the Carribean Synod to help there.
- Where are donations most needed?
This depends on what you want your financial donation to do. Here are three great needs at this point:
–>Florida-Bahamas Synod Disaster Relief Fund: donations to this fund allows the synod office to support immediate relief needs as well as long-term needs felt by congregations. You may also mail a check made out to “Florida-Bahamas Synod” to the synod office: 3838 W. Cypress St, Tampa, FL 33607. Please include “synod disaster response” or “Hurricane Irma response” on the memo line.
–>Lutheran Disaster Response: donations to LDR support long-term case management and relief/redevelopment in low-income communities
–>Lutheran Services of Florida: LSF is on the ground providing FEMA-funded crisis counseling in 23 counties throughout FL. LSF also supports HeadStart programs and other services throughout the state that serve those most severely affected by the storm. 50 LSF staff members suffered significant devastation and will need help. FEMA funding does not cover administrative and overhead costs, so LSF is having to do additional fundraising to support this important service.
- My congregation has collected supplies like hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, etc. Where should we send them?
Please send donations of supplies to the synod office (3838 W. Cypress St, Tampa, FL 33607). From here, we can distribute them throughout the synod where they are most needed.
- I have a team of people interested in coming down and volunteering. How do we do that?
The best way to connect with volunteer opportunities is to register with VolunteerFlorida or Crisis Cleanup. They are managing the volunteer response. You can register your group size, your skills/interests, what kind of work you want to do, and even what agency you want to work with. You can designate Lutheran Disaster Response as your preferred group through VolunteerFlorida. If your group registers and plans on responding, please email Michele Hilton (micheleh@fbsynod.org) so we can continue to celebrate the vast response of God’s people.
