YUKON, Okla.—Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) chain saw, debris removal and other volunteer teams have continued to serve people affected by the Thanksgiving weekend ice storms that rocked Oklahoma.
First Baptist Church of Yukon and Highland Hills Baptist Church of Oklahoma City have served as the base of operation for the Baptists’ DR, which will have served more than 1,400 families requesting assistance by Christmas. The DR operation has mobilized hundreds of volunteers. In addition to debris clean up and chain saw work, volunteers have prepared more than 5,500 meals for storm victims and others.
Sam Porter, director of disaster relief, said, “Our volunteers are not serving for money. They serve our neighbors to be the hands and feet of Jesus, making a difference with every tree cut or limb placed at the curb.”
Porter announced DR experienced 2,240 volunteer days in 16 days of work, averaging 140 volunteers per each day. He said more than 450 total volunteers have participated, coming from around Oklahoma as well as seven other states.
According to Porter, the volunteer-based operation will pause the recovery work at Christmas and resume in the New Year. “We will briefly pause our recovery for two weeks so that our amazing volunteers can rest and have a joyful time with their families celebrating the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is the reason we do what we do,” he said.
For more information about Oklahoma Baptist DR, visit www.okdisasterhelp.org.