A CDS volunteer reads to children during a response by Children’s Disaster Services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) has completed six weeks of volunteer work caring for children and families affected by severe flooding in Louisiana. The 29 CDS volunteers who took part set up childcare centers in multiple locations in Baton Rouge, including shelters, and worked with two partner organizations–FEMA and the American Red Cross.
The last CDS volunteers returned home this week, after closing out the project on Sept. 26. The five volunteers made up the sixth CDS team to serve in Baton Rouge over the course of a lengthy assignment that logged a total of 750 child contacts.
CDS staff have received good feedback from partner organizations about the work in Baton Rouge, and even children who were cared for have written “sweet notes” about the CDS volunteers, said CDS program assistant Kristen Hoffman.
“We are grateful for all the volunteers who served over six weeks in Louisiana. And we are keeping an eye on the flooding in Iowa and Tropical Storm Matthew,” in case of a need for more CDS services, she said.
Find information about the ministry of Children’s Disaster Services at www.brethren.org/cds