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Ready to serve
Southern Baptists from Western Nebraska are ready to play a bigger part in meeting the needs of those victimized by the next major disaster.
The Oregon Trail Baptist Association recently gave approval for the construction of a 3,000-meal, mobile feeding unit to be stationed in western Nebraska.
Southern Baptists have been involved in disaster relief since 1967 when Hurricane Beulah ravaged the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, leaving thousands of people homeless.
Out of the experiences of this disaster, Southern Baptists built a nationwide organization of volunteers that assist victims of all kinds of disasters including tornados, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist attacks.
In fact, the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization mobilized thousands of volunteers immediately following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Gregg Roberts of McCook was one such volunteer. The SBDR worked in close association with the Salvation Army for several months, preparing and serving more than 2 million meals for rescue workers and other volunteers.
The new 3,000-meal facility will be the only feeding unit in the state of Nebraska and will be manned by Southern Baptist volunteers from all over Western Nebraska.
The unit will stand at the ready in either McCook or North Platte and will contain all of the equipment necessary for preparing 3,000 meals per day, including a canopy with side panels and an 8x10 cargo trailer for transport. The unit can be mobilized and ready to cook in 24 hours or less.
According to Roberts, coordinator for the Oregon Trail Baptist Association Disaster Relief Team, the cost of the complete unit is approximately $8,000.
"The disaster relief folks have this pretty much down-pat," said Roberts. "They know precisely how many pots, pans, spoons, ladles and so on are needed and they bid very specifically." The SBDR works closely with the Red Cross or, as was the case in New York, with the Salvation Army, in obtaining the foodstuffs necessary to feed people.
"Those agencies have the necessary contacts to acquire food supplies while we provide the trained staff to prepare and serve the food," Roberts explained.
The unit would be used primarily to serve needs in Western Nebraska, however, "if a major disaster occurred, the unit could be called as part of a fleet to assist anywhere in the country," said Roberts.
The unit is manned by trained Southern Baptist volunteers, however, on-site volunteers may be used in the event of a disaster to help with bussing dishes, wiping tables, emptying trash, etc.
"The (disaster relief) agency provides a way for Southern Baptists to offer a cup of cold water in Jesus' name," explained Roberts, quoting from the mission statement of SBDR.
Roberts is the pastor at Prairie View Baptist Church in McCook. He was elected as Disaster Relief Coordinator for the Oregon Trail Baptist Association in 2002 and recently attended intensive training from the National Guard in Wichita, Kan., in critical incident stress management and in terrorism and disaster response. He also serves on the Red Willow County emergency management team.
Contributions can be sent to: Oregon Trail Baptist Association, Disaster Relief, PO Box 816, North Platte, NE 69103. For more information, contact Roberts at (308) 345-3060.