Nashville Tornado: Day 9-Stories from the Ground
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VOLUNTEER STORIES
Our Disaster Relief Volunteer Manager, Sabrina More, shared that, "Inspiritus volunteers recently met a mother searching for her daughter’s Air Force jacket after the tornado. With teamwork, we found it over 50 miles away and we were able to return it to her. Her daughter was visibly shaken by the destruction she was witnessing to their home. When we returned her military jacket to her, she was smiling from ear to ear."
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Dave is a Delta Airlines volunteer who drove up for the weekend with his co-workers to help out in whatever way they could. He shared that the moment that touched him the most was when, “we found photos and a child’s ‘The Cat in the Hat’ book in the debris in a yard that had a girl's name written in it and the date of 1986. I hope they find their way back to their owner! My own daughter loved that book. It brought back a lot of special memories.”
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Micah is a volunteer whose mission trip to Uganda this week was canceled due to coronavirus travel restrictions. When he learned that his life insurance provider, Thrivent Financial, was supporting the Inspiritus Disaster Response in Nashville, he signed up to volunteer and headed to Nashville for the week. Sharing from a worksite, he said: “You could just see the relief on the husband’s face when our volunteers showed up on the second morning to finish the job. Also, there was a woman who was distraught. You could tell she was trying her hardest to be strong. She said, ‘I really shouldn’t complain. I’m still here.’ An orthodox priest was volunteering with us and told her that she could complain, that it’s alright to, and he really legitimized what she was experiencing. We were able to speak life into her and she said it ‘made her feel valuable again.’
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Ashley is an AmeriCorps NCCC volunteer serving with Inspiritus Disaster teams in March through April. She led a volunteer team in “Zone 2” in Mt. Juliet, north of Nashville. Ashley shared that the homeowner’s gratitude really moved her because “her yard was a mess, her garage was destroyed, but the thing she appreciated most was the personal contact she had with the volunteers who made sure she wasn’t alone during that time and that all her needs were being met. That really meant a lot.“
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We're so fortunate and grateful to have volunteers joining us from around the country. We couldn't do what we do without these volunteers, and partner agencies, especially the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response.
We continue to need your support to keep our teams on the ground and well-equipped to make a difference. Thank you for your support if you have given. If not, please consider giving today to help our neighbors thrive again after this devastating tornado.
WHAT WE ARE DOING:
NORTH NASHVILLE / GERMANTOWN
- Food Box Distribution Site for residents in this hard-hit area
NASHVILLE AREA
- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping
- Volunteer coordination support
- Longterm recovery planning with emergency officials
COOKEVILLE
- Response teams for debris removal, chainsawing, & tarping
- Volunteer coordination support
- Longterm recovery planning with emergency officials
HOW TO HELP:
Donate: click here
Volunteer: click here
Mail: Gift Cards & Checks
We need gift cards and financial donations, desperately:
Home Depot and Lowe's cards: for home repair work and debris removal tools
Gas cards: to get volunteer teams to and from the disaster sites where homeowners are in need
VISA cards: for clients who have extreme financial needs for survival, and for disaster work supplies
WalMart cards: to feed volunteer teams, and for clients with extreme financial needs for survival (ex. Pharmacy medications, baby supplies, etc.)
Gift Cards & Checks can be mailed to:
Inspiritus
Attn: Disaster Response
P.O. Box 60597
Nashville, TN 37206
Please consider making a donation, sending us gift cards, hosting a fundraiser on social media, or even signing up to volunteer in the weeks ahead.
To donate, click here and select Nashville 2020 Tornado.
Blessings to all our friends and family in Nashville!
-Virginia Spencer
Vice President of Development
Inspiritus
P.S. Rev. Katherine Museus Dabay and Sandy Vollmer, Director of Youth & Children’s Ministry at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin delivered “Fuel Bags” of energizing non perishable foods for us to distribute to families in need. Thank you! #NashvilleStrong
