| Released by the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce —- |
The church has warehouse space. Hurricane survivors need to rebuild their homes. A disaster relief organization has construction workers. It’s all coming together for the North Florida Inland Long Term Recovery Group which covers Calhoun and Jackson counties (www.northfloridarecovery.org).
After the storm, Rivertown Community Church made its 20,000-square-foot warehouse on their Marianna campus available as a distribution point for relief supplies in northwest Florida. More than 4.5 million pounds of supplies were distributed from the site.
But there was more to do. Mennonite Disaster Service asked if the church could outfit the warehouse to house 40 volunteers who would rebuild houses. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) asked if it could participate in the joint effort as part of its Hurricane Michael response, providing services such as disaster case management.
With funding from Volunteer Florida and others, Rivertown Community Church has purchased the drywall, insulation, studs and other material to begin the work. Construction has begun. The project will require more funding to finish out the electrical, lighting, heating and plumbing work. The RCC and the North Florida Inland LTRG are applying for additional funding to complete the project.
Darin Bontrager, regional operations coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service, said his organization partners with local long-term recovery groups to provide skilled construction labor for repairs or new construction of homes for people who otherwise would not be able to return to their homes. “As an outside organization,” he said, “we need to listen to the needs of the local people. We always want to be invited into a community rather than show up uninvited. I anticipate a long road ahead for recovery in the Panhandle. But one client told us: ‘I was at the end of my rope and now I see a glimmer of hope.’”