Mennonite Disaster Service

From the plains of Indiana to the Tennessee mountains.

Thirty-seven volunteers from Acknowledging Christ Through Service (ACTS) made the trip, towing tool trailers on winding mountain roads, to build new homes for families still recovering from Hurricane Helene. Most of them are young men and women from northern Indiana, many on their first trip to the Tennessee mountains.

We are grateful for every one of them. Thank you, ACTS volunteers.



Read the short story at the link below --

https://mds.org/story/acts-volunteers-miracles-in-the-mountains/

Volunteers build all kinds of bridges in western NC.

Bridging Together is a partnership between MDS and Lutheran Disaster Response Carolinas that ultimately helps rebuild private access bridges across western North Carolina. In Hendersonville, North Carolina, MDS volunteers and Islamic Relief USA are working together to rebuild private driveway bridges washed away by Hurricane Helene.

This is what disaster recovery looks like when we work together.

Check out the short story here: https://mds.org/story/volunteers-build-all-kinds-of-bridges-in-western-nc/

What does it mean to show up for a community you have never met?

Anna Wiebe, a student at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, has done it twice now. First in Amory, Mississippi, and most recently in Denare Beach, Saskatchewan, where wildfires destroyed 200 homes last summer. She travelled six hours by van with a group of Grebel students and staff to help MDS volunteers rebuild.

"Being involved in small-scale acts of dedication to each other and the land gives me a sense of hope."

In her article, Anna reflects on what keeps bringing her back and why volunteering with MDS has been such a meaningful experience for her.

Read the whole article here - https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/news/volunteering-joyful-practice-and-radical-resistance -ig-eafa91d1-6311-4ac2-9934-3349998833ef

On March 17th, MDS was presented with the Key to the City of Douglas, Georgia, an honor we humbly accept on behalf of every volunteer who responded to Hurricane Helene. When Helene tore through Coffee County in September 2024, families lost homes, roofs, and a sense of safety. MDS volunteers from across the country answered the call, showing up with skills, tools, and hearts ready to serve.

Together with our partners, the work resulted in nine new homes built and more than one hundred roofs repaired for residents with limited resources. None of that happens without the dedication of our volunteers or the resilience of the people of Douglas who never stopped pushing toward recovery. We are grateful for the recognition and even more grateful for the opportunity to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Mennonite Disaster Service is hiring!

We are seeking an IT Manager to oversee MDS’ technology infrastructure, ensure system security and efficiency, and align IT operations with MDS goals.

If you or someone you know has strong IT experience and a commitment to the Anabaptist faith, we invite you to apply at https://mds.org/job-opening/it-manager/

Send your cover letter and resume to [email protected]

Help us spread the word!

The community pictured here in Ironton was struck by Hurricane Ida on August 29, 2021, one of the most destructive storms in Louisiana history. Ida ranked as the second-most damaging hurricane ever to make landfall in the state, behind only Katrina in 2005, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph at landfall.

Some of the homes you see in these photos are the standard for MDS construction in storm surge prone communities, built to withstand severe weather and reduce flood damage in vulnerable communities.

MDS needs volunteers with a wide range of skills, including construction supervisors, office managers, drivers, cooks, weekly volunteers, and yearlong volunteers. See how your skills can make a difference for communities still recovering from storms like Ida:

https://mds.org/ways-to-volunteer/

Twenty-two volunteers, including 15 Goshen College students, arrived in Lahaina, Hawaii on May 4th ready to work. Some came with no prior construction. By the end of the week, they were hanging drywall and setting tile in the Maui heat across four job sites.

The team visited the community-led roadside memorial on the Lahaina Bypass, built to honor the 102 lives lost in the August 8, 2023 wildfire. Standing there together, they were reminded of why this work matters and the hope that rebuilding can bring to a community still healing.

Lahaina, we are not done yet. Thanks be to God for every hand that showed up.

MDS in the news!

Click the link to read the CHVN article:
“Hope returns to Denare Beach as MDS rebuilds homes after wildfires”

Hope returns to Denare Beach as MDS rebuilds homes after wildfires Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) says recovery work in Denare Beach is continuing months after wildfires tore through the northern Saskatchewan community, destroying homes and leaving many families in long-term displacement. Executive Director Reynold Friesen says the impact of the disaster is far f...