About
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is a faith-based collaboration of Southern Baptist Churches across the country. Each of the forty-two “state conventions” in the Southern Baptist Convention have disaster relief ministries. Together, those disaster relief ministries compose Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. The state convention that covers Pennsylvania is called the “Baptist Resource Network of PA/South Jersey.”
Our trained volunteers come from our churches, are vetted, and are trained in mass feeding and food safety as well as in other disciplines.
Being a known responder and a founding member of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), the Center for Disease Control has asked SBDR to fill the gaps in wrap-around services for senior citizens that are being created by COVID-19.
Scope
We will leverage resources to meet unmet wrap-around services for Senior Citizens, Immobilized, Quarantined, Self-Quarantined, Disabled across the Commonwealth. We will try to meet the needs of individuals of whom we are made aware as well as entities, such as food banks, Meals-On Wheels, food pantries looking for multiple volunteers to keep their services operating.
These services include:
- Primary: Meal Prep and delivery
- Secondary: Rx delivery, Grocery delivery. Other requests will be considered on case by case basis.
Operations
Requests received by SBDR of PA/SJ will be passed to nearest BRN congregation in the client’s area. If no congregation is available or no response is received, then we will seek assistance from faith based and community partners such as American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Lutheran Disaster Relief, etc.
Communications
The Center for Disease Control has communicated to State leads for Emergency Management and Depts of Health that SBDR is a resource in meeting unmet needs and wrap-around services for senior adults. This information should be passed on to counties and municipalities.
In PA, requests may be sent to sbdrpj.recov@gmail.com.
Requests must include:
- Client’s full name, contact information, and full address
- What services (meal prep and/or delivery, Rx delivery, grocery delivery) are required
- When services are needed (start date, how many times of day, and duration in days or weeks)
Kenton Hunt
Disaster Relief Director
Baptist Resource Network
570.772.2357
