Hurricane relief work is the answer

If you’re looking for something to do over spring or summer vacation and can travel, don’t overlook doing hurricane relief work as a possibility. Over winter break, I traveled to Gulfport, Mississippi with four other Wesleyan students, and the experience was deeply meaningful in such a way that I can only hope that every student who can help will do so.

Despite the lack of coverage in the media, along the coasts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, countless people need attention: they are homeless, displaced and/or unemployed. Many of us are outraged and saddened that the residents of these affected areas have been neglected, and I believe that a lot can be gained by being proactive in countering this problem ourselves. Volunteer organizations are looking for people willing to work, no matter their level of construction expertise. The group with which I went to Gulfport was mainly comprised of students who had never had construction experience before, and we left the area having shingled about eight roofs in Biloxi.

The Mississippians we got to know were incredibly gracious and welcoming, and were willing to share their stories and hear our own. The volunteers we worked with were from various backgrounds and it was wonderful to get to know them as well. If you can arrange for your own transportation, the organization through which you volunteer can provide food, shelter, construction materials and showers. If you can’t travel to the coast, please instead think about spending some time working with Wesleyan’s Habitat for Humanity group or with a group in your own community. I can now attest that this type of hands-on work is both incredibly enjoyable and rewarding. The group that I went with to Mississippi is planning to return over spring break to work with the organization Hands On USA, and other groups of Wesleyan students, such as the Hurricane Relief Coalition, are looking to send groups down to New Orleans.

If interested, please visit habitat.org, handsonusa.org, or a similar website or attend a meeting of the Hurricane Relief Coalition Tuesday night at 9 p.m. in the Campus Center to learn more.