Church of the Brethren Newsline
February 3, 2017
A team of volunteers from Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) set up yesterday morning at a MARC (Multi Agency Resource Center) in Albany, Ga. CDS provides child care for families affected by disasters, often offering care for children while parents apply for aid or take care of other necessary tasks in the wake of disasters.
The Albany area was hit by a devastating tornado on Jan. 22. Yesterday afternoon and evening the CDS volunteers cared for seven children, reported associate director Kathy Fry-Miller.
“One mother had to leave in the afternoon to pick up her children from school,” Fry-Miller reported by e-mail. “It was in the middle of filling out applications. She saw the children’s area and said, ‘This is great! I’m bringing my kids back here!’ She needed to be able to concentrate on talking with people from organizations offering many types of services, as well as fill out paperwork to take care of her family’s needs.”
The CDS team is expected to work at the MARC through tomorrow, with the possibility of continuing next week. Mary Geisler is serving as project manager. This response is funded by a grant of $5,000 from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF).
“Hopefully, families will take advantage of this service,” Fry-Miller said.
For more information about Children’s Disaster Services go to www.brethren.org/cds .
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