LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In Valdosta, Georgia, Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are feeding the hungry as the region struggles with power and the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Helene.
"When God calls you to do something, you gotta go," Director Ron Crow said.
The Baptist group answered that call. Its 25-person team arrived in flood-ravaged Valdosta on Saturday. Even volunteers who've done emergency relief work for decades say it's some of the worst flooding they've seen.
"They prepared over 2,600 meals the first night," Crow explained. "We expect those numbers to go up to five, six, seven thousand pretty quick."
That's per day.
A team from the Louisville-based branch of the Salvation Army is in Johnson City, Tennessee, with a similar mission — feeding people, and their souls.
The team's two-week rotation began Sunday, making more than 200 meals the first day. Johnson City saw nine inches of rainfall in 24 hours in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
"They'll also be distributing hydration kits, cleanup kits. As the disaster evolves, and there are more ways to access further areas, then the group will grow," Salvation Army spokesperson Kelly Hutchinson said.
As the needs grow in each state, it shows just how far Helene's devastation stretched across the southeast.
"The number of meals is going to grow substantially," Hutchinson added.
While there, these organizations want to serve hope, along with the food.
"To help bring that help, hope and healing so they can begin the process of rebuilding their lives. Many of them have lost everything," Crow said.
"And a new day will come," Hutchinson believed. "It's gonna take a long time."
However long that is, both teams are prepared for some time away from home.
Donations can be made to the Salvation Army by clicking this link. Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief also accepts donations online here.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or X feed.