Hi Mrs. Evans,
I wanted to let you know that I am back from two weeks of serving with the Red Cross in Texas as they continue to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. There were a lot of back-to-back, 12-hour-plus workdays, but they were very rewarding.
My first week in Texas was spent in Corpus Christi, where the focus was on feeding lunch and dinner, as well as making sure that anyone who needed financial assistance signed up with the Red Cross. Although Corpus Christi hadn’t sustained major damage, the Red Cross sent five food trucks into the surrounding cities anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes away from Corpus Christi.
A local church let the Red Cross set up headquarters in one of its buildings, and every morning at 7:30 all the volunteers would meet to get their assignments for the day and pick up their feeding trucks (converted ambulances) and any other supplies that were needed. During most of the time I was in Corpus Christi I went out with others in the feeding trucks to deliver hot lunches and dinners to those in need, but I also had an opportunity to help at headquarters.
One of the cities where people were fed daily was Port Aransas, and in order to get to and from that city we had to take a ferry. Port Aransas is surrounded by water and was hit very hard by Hurricane Harvey. Every street we drove down had tons of debris piled up on the sidewalks. Several homes had been flattened by Harvey. Most of those still standing needed work done on their roofs. [See link below for pictures.]
I spoke to a homeowner who came to get dinner one evening. He looked exhausted, and I could tell he had been working on his home, so I asked how it was going. He said things were going well. He said there were 12 homes on his block and his was the only one left standing. He said he stayed to fix the damage to his roof because he still had a mortgage to pay.
At the end of the week, feeding was winding down so the Red Cross managers asked some of us to drive three of the feeding trucks to their headquarters in Houston, a little more than 200 miles away. I was one of the drivers, so I spent my second week in Houston at one of the two shelters that the Red Cross was operating in the city. Between those two shelters about 600 people were housed until they could get into permanent housing.
Life in the shelter was a totally different experience from going out and feeding people. The Red Cross volunteers worked in two shifts, the first from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the second from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. There were single men and women, married couples, and people with families, all living under one roof in a large warehouse. The Red Cross fed them three meals a day, with lunch and dinner being hot meals.
They provided access to medical assistance, as well as many other forms of assistance. By the time I got to the shelter they were helping about 30 people a day to transition from the shelter to homes. Every time someone would move out of the shelter the workers would ring a bell, wave pom-poms and give a big cheer to celebrate the persons moving out and into their own place. That encouraged me and the other workers, and I’m sure it also encouraged those who were still waiting to get housing.
I worked with many people from all over the country. They weren’t trying to be seen, but were simply there to help, and that was so awesome. They weren’t an easy two weeks, but they were rewarding two weeks. I was so grateful for your support and that you made sure that I and the others who went had the prayers and support of the congregation. There were times when I would be driving the food truck late at night in an unfamiliar city, on unfamiliar roads with unfamiliar people and I would remember that I was covered in prayer by my CCC family and friends, and I had nothing to be concerned about. I really appreciate all your support!
Below is a link to pictures I took during my time in Texas. The first third of the pictures represent my time in Corpus Christi and the surrounding cities when I was feeding people and working in the headquarters at the church. The second third of pictures, starting with the red brick Red Cross building, represent my time in Houston in the organization’s huge facility.
The last third of the pictures are drawing by little kids who attended the school at the church that hosted us in Corpus Christi. The kids made wonderful artwork showing their appreciation of the Red Cross, which the church posted throughout the facility for us to see and enjoy. You’ll also see a picture of a huge bug that looks as if it flew into one of the feeding trucks. I’ve heard that things are bigger in Texas, but Yikes!!!
It is a blessing to be back home, but I am grateful for the opportunity, the support and prayers of you and CCC that allowed me to go and be a blessing to others for two weeks.
(Anthony Washington is the CCC Helps Ministry Coordinator. Part of his new duties will be as liaison between the Red Cross and the FKCP III Schools.)
