Plant Your Seeds for Spring

On March 23, 2013, my wife and I headed to Union Beach, NJ with a group of 40 volunteers from St. Vincent Martyr Church. A majority of the volunteers were teens from the youth ministry.  Teaching our youth the importance of volunteerism, and joy that can be found in helping others, are the seeds we plant in their lives that will hopefully stay with them for a lifetime.

It was a sad sight to see how devastated the community was from Hurricane Sandy.  Homes were swept away, or very badly damaged. Sometimes only a driveway was left on a now empty lot. The residents told us stories of the horrible wind and water, and the battles they are now fighting with insurance companies.

We started at the Boro Hall which was well equipped with supplies for all the volunteers.  There were a variety of jobs needed for that day.  Some required skills. One job asked us to enter a house that was flooded and boarded up for 5 months. Protective clothing and respirators were recommended. There were jobs to do for everyone.

Our team took the job of gutting the first floor of the home damaged by 4-5 feet of water. We suited up in Tyvek suits and respirators and ripped away. By the time we left the first floor was pretty much bare to the studs. It was a great group of guys. We were both young and old (me), and we really worked well together. We all left a little sore, but feeling that we did something that made a difference.

There is still much work to be done in Union Beach. Hopefully the seeds of our work that day will grow in the lives of those who helped, and the people of Union Beach.