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Disaster Relief
Current Status: Active
Updated Feb. 3, 2010
A 10-person Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief medical team is currently serving in Haiti. They will continue to serve through Feb. 8.
The KBC’s team is led by Glenn Hickey, a specially trained member of the KBC’s international response team. Butch Vernon, pastor of Thoroughbred Community Church in Nicholasville, is serving as chaplain. See updates from the team here.
Additional teams will be sent as plans are confirmed. Southern Baptists anticipate a long-term response with teams going regularly for months or even years, said Webb.
Trained Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers interested in serving on a team once opportunities become available are being asked to express their interest by emailing cindy.henderson@kybaptist.org. Volunteers should indicate their availability, contact information and what type of volunteer work they are able to do.
Buckets of Hope for Haiti
Every Baptist can have a hands-on, life changing affect upon the people of Haiti by participating in a Southern Baptists “Buckets of Hope” ministry.
The “Bucket of Hope” consists of a plastic five-gallon bucket packed with selected foodstuffs. For approximately $30 an individual Baptist can purchase the materials and assemble a "Bucket of Hope." In addition Baptists are requested to include a $10 cash contribution, placed in an envelope and attached to the lid of the bucket, to offset the cost of transporting the relief buckets to Haiti.
Contributions
You can contribute to disaster relief efforts in Haiti here. Contributions may be also sent to the KBC, P.O. Box 856300, Dept. 124, Louisville, KY 40285-9900. Please note “Haiti Earthquake” in the check memo.
One hundred percent of funds will be used for relief efforts; none will be used for administrative costs. All funds will be given through the Florida Baptist Convention or used by the Kentucky Baptist Convention to provide resources for food, water, medical supplies, and recovery to those left hurting in Haiti by this devastating disaster. The funds will be distributed by the Florida Baptist Convention through the Haitian Baptist Conventions that are affiliated with Southern Baptists. The Florida Baptist Convention has a long ministry relationship with Haiti.
On Friday, January 22, 2010, President Obama signed into law legislation passed quickly by both the Senate and the House (H.R. 4462- See Text Below) which allows taxpayers to claim a charitable deduction in 2009 for cash (text message, check, credit card or debit card) gifts given for “relief of victims in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti” made in the beginning of 2010 .
Any gifts made after January 11, 2010 and prior to March 1, 2010 may be treated as if they were made on December 31, 2009. Therefore, a donor to a local church or state convention may claim a deduction in either 2009 or 2010 for any gifts made from January 12 – February 28, 2010 for Haiti relief.
You can contribute to general disaster relief efforts here.
Training
Interested in becoming a trained disaster relief volunteer? Have you been trained, but need to be re-certified? Check out our upcoming disaster relief training opportunities.What is disaster relief?
When disaster strikes, some of the first to respond to help are Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers. Kentucky has an active disaster relief program which works in concert with similar programs in other states. Whether the disaster occurs in the state of Kentucky or elsewhere in the nation or the world, Kentucky volunteers may be called out to help.
More than 7,000 individuals are trained as disaster relief workers in Kentucky. Kentucky volunteers can staff feeding units designed to deliver thousands of hot meals on short notice, move in with chainsaws to help remove debris, do the dirty work of helping families remove mud from flooded homes and provide many other disaster relief services.
Southern Baptist efforts are correlated primarily with the American Red Cross, and with other private agencies through NVOAD, (the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.)
Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief is part of the ministry of the Baptist Men On Mission Department. For more information about the program and training schedule, send e-mail or call 502-489-3401 or 866-489-3527.
