Over 6,100 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Southeastern United States arrived in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina to help homes and houses of worship affected by Hurricane Helene.
Among them were 93 volunteers from the St. Cloud Florida Stake in Osceola County who served residents in Lake City, just east of Tallahassee.
Volunteers cleared debris and mucked out homes in an attempt to bring “Hope with them everywhere they served,” according to the group.
“To be able to serve others brings us closer to God,” said St. Cloud Florida stake president President Jonathan Gooch, “Serving is divine, and it deepens our love for others, even for those whom we may have just met.”
Church members volunteered their time and traveled at their own expense to aid those in such dire need.
St. Cloud resident and church member Scott Quigley said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve with his father and two teenage kids.
“We lost my mom last November, and my wife at the end of August. This was a great experience for my kids to go out and serve people — to see how grateful others were, not just for the help, but also to see that they were not forgotten and abandoned,” he said. “It is too easy to get caught up in our own lives, our own selves, our own headspaces, and our own problems. Opportunities like this strengthen our resolve to participate in God’s great plan instead of just standing idly by and watching it play out.”
Over 3,000 work orders were completed by volunteers in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene. The Church also sent trucks of supplies to the area in preparation for the cleanup effort.
“Overall, our stake contributed more than 1,200 hours of assistance to residents in Lake City,” said President Adam Zern, a counselor in the St. Cloud Florida stake presidency. “Yes, members sacrificed their time to be here, but it’s overwhelming to see what can be accomplished by many willing hands.”
