What
are we trying to accomplish?
Shepherd
Gate Church has both near-term and long-term plans with the Lord's
leading. Initially we are helping to fill Point of Distribution
centers with recovery kits to cover disasters in the United States
from tornadoes, floods, fires, hurricanes, etc. As we are
led, we intend to:
Train and certify volunteers to
respond to disasters abroad and locally
Establish Shepherd Gate Church as a
coordination center and distribution center for this area working
with CDR and NVOAD resources
Develop a mobile kitchen capability
to respond to disasters
Why
are we doing it?
Faith-based
organizations repeatedly demonstrate their ability to respond to
people's needs without extensive overhead or red tape. There
is a need in Northern Virginia to collect materials as well as have
a local response capability. In love, it fulfills our mission
statement.
How
did we pick CDR?
One of our deacons
had a vision for our church to be active and prepared for disasters.
Several prayed on this message and we began searching for ideas.
We
found that several groups varied in the ways they allowed people to
participate. Some wanted money only, others lacked a Christian
message, and some had too little funds going to people in need.
After a deacon meeting where we prayed for the Lord's
guidance, that very night we found Christian Disaster Response on
the web. Viewing their website and having several conversations
with the founder, we found the following:
Compatible doctrine and mission
Focus on need, not promotion
Extremely low overhead -nearly
100% goes to aid - all volunteer
Certification capability to serve in
disaster areas domestically and internationally
Willingness to network with churches
to build Christ's body of responders
We prayed on it,
were discerning, and believe God has placed this group before us.
There is no church currently in Northern Virginia with which they
are working.
How
long will the drive last?
This first drive
will end on July 15th. We hope to initiate additional
drives on a periodic basis. In the meantime, we will be certifying
responders.
What
about adding non-kit items or used items?
Non-kit items will
be donated to local shelters and will not be warehoused. Unless the
kits item specifically says good or new, all items must be new and
in sealed condition.
Some
kits are large, how will anyone complete them?
The key to this
drive is to band together as families, small groups, neighbors, etc
and split-up the number of items. Take the example of the health
kit. A small group could decide to do six kits: each person would
have the advantage of purchasing multi-unit packs making the dollars
stretch farther. In the case of the large cooking kit, each person
could take a single item.
Do
we accept partial kits or individual items?
Partial kits will
not be accepted at the church. The key to response is to have
consistency. Groups may accept partial items as long as they
assemble and finish the entire kit. One small group is considering
working with a supermarket and assigning items to people as they
shop as well as accepting cash donations. Talk with Mike Kelly or
Carly Nusbaum on what they are doing.
What
about alternative drop-off locations or times?
The brochure has
room for special instructions if someone wants to arrange an
alternate drop site or offer to pick them up.
When
will certification training start and how is it maintained?
Dale Keener is our
first person to be certified and now has the credentials to enter a
disaster site and minister to people. We will have an 18-hour "Emergency Disaster Preparedness and Response Training" provided by CDR Friday, June 29 - Sunday, July 1. The cost is $40 and includes lunch and dinner on Saturday. Please download the registration form (see above right)
for complete details.
Are
donations tax deductible and what about receipts?
Donations are
currently tax deductible. Laws can vary by state and we know federal
ones change from time to time. So it is wise to consult a tax
advisor. For kits, we will offer receipts indicating what kits were
donated. Donors should keep receipts and staple them together.
What
about donations by check, online, or cash?
Check
contributions should be made to Shepherd Gate Church with a note for
Disaster Response in the memo section. These funds will be used for
shipping expenses and international relief efforts. Online donations
should be made directly to Christian Disaster Response at
www.cdresponse.org
where credit card and PayPal are accepted. Cash contributions are
accepted during onsite drives and will be used to purchase kits or
spent on shipping and packaging expenses.
Who
do I call for questions?
Nick Brigman
via the church office at 703.961.1040
