Charities

The Office of Disaster Response (ODR) is an arm of Episcopal Community Services, a newly formed subsidiary of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. It serves the Greater New Orleans area. The ODR utilizes volunteers to restore the flooded homes of those who are in economic distress, but are not gaining access to recovery and rebuilding resources. This includes the elderly, the disabled, and households with children.The program started in January 2006 as a volunteer house- gutting operation, and with the help of thousands of volunteers, provided services valued at over $12.5 million to more than 800 families in need. They launched their rebuild phase in March 2007, with funding from Episcopal Relief and Development. Using a combination of volunteers and professional contractors, the organization does whatever repair work is necessary to get residents back into their homes. (ODR Website)

Camp Coast Care was established immediately after Hurricane Katrina in Long Beach, Mississippi by Lutheran-Episcopal Relief Services. They have recently moved to Hancock County, ground zero for Hurricane Katrina. Beginning as an emergency distribution center and medical care facility, the camp now focuses on reconstruction of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Volunteers come and work for usually a week at a time on houses that are being repaired or rebuilt so that coastal residents can move out of temporary housing back into their homes. Camp Coast Care can provide housing and three meals a day for up to 100 volunteers. So far, over 12,000 volunteers have come from all over the world to help, and many have come several times.Experts predict that several more years of construction work are needed before the Mississippi Gulf Coast returns to its pre-Katrina state. (Camp Coast Care Website)