Mennonite Disaster Service

New volunteer opportunities are available in Crisfield, MD, the week of July 26-Aug 1, to help finish up two homes. Construction experience is preferred, but not required.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving, check out the schedule HERE to see available opportunities: https://volunteer.mds.org/

The MDS Summer Youth Program is underway in Perry, Florida, where volunteers are working through hurricane damage left behind by back-to-back storms in 2023 and 2024.

The first week brought 15 youth and adults from Lindale Mennonite Church in Virginia, who split between two job sites -- restoring a bathroom for Grace, a homeowner with limited mobility, and working on a home in Steinhatchee nine feet off the ground on pylons. When Grace's team finished, she said it simply: "You have made my house a home."

Week two added volunteers from Walden, NY and a youth group from Blossom Hill Mennonite in Lancaster, Pa. Grace's home was completed and signed off, with volunteers presenting her a quilted wall-hanging made by the Lindale ladies' group. A second home was also completed. Work continues on two more.

Two weeks in, two homes complete, and a long summer of good work still ahead in Perry.

Every MDS project runs on people willing to show up and lead. Yesterday in Lititz, PA, a group of volunteers took that step at MDS's construction leadership training.

Leadership volunteers are the backbone of every MDS project. Construction supervisors, crew leaders, cooks, office managers, and project directors serve four weeks or more at a time. They organize work for weekly volunteers, partner with local community organizations, and make sure every volunteer can make the most of their time serving with MDS. Just as importantly, they show up as a gentle hand and an open ear for homeowners navigating one of the hardest seasons of their lives.

More leadership volunteers means more communities served. If you have heart for service, learn more about becoming a leadership volunteer at mds.org/leadership-volunteer/

View all of our upcoming events here: mds.org/event/