When sending designated gifts to the Conference or directly to one of these agencies, it is extremely important that the cover letter clearly indicate to which disaster the donation is to be directed. For those persons or churches who, for one reason or another, do not want to utilize the services of the Conference, the national church, or CWS, the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator may be able to provide the name and address of the agency responding to that disaster so that a donation may be sent directly. In the event of direct donations, it would be extremely helpful to the Conference if those donations were reported to the Conference office. Many disasters both in the Conference and around the world receive little or no television or other media coverage. Because of the press of other news, the inaccessibility of some disaster sites due to geographical or political constraints, the biases of reporters, the non-visual nature of the disaster, or other reasons, some disaster survivors in great need are overlooked or receive less help than those where a disaster is widely reported over the mass media.
Every disaster requires help from persons who can contribute time, labor, and skills.
From debris removal to dry-wall construction to case work, disaster response depends upon willing volunteers. Local churches are encouraged to identify persons or groups who could respond in person to disasters. The Global Sharing of Resources Ministry Team or the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator can provide any local church or individual with information about personal response to a disaster. The Conference Disaster Response Coordinator will conduct a training workshop for a local church on how to do a youth or adult work camp for disaster response when asked. Under some circumstances an experienced work camp director could be provided.