CALEDONIA — For the past 11 years, the Caledonia branch of relief organization Samaritan’s Purse (SP) has built its name on delivering quality relief services at disaster sites across North America.
Starting in 2012 with just a single pull-behind cube trailer full of tools, John and Beverly VanMarrum, with the help of volunteers like Peter and Teresa Wunsche, have built their operation into a multi-vehicle fleet capable of providing assistance in the wake of a wide range of disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, and more.
The Caledonia location is one of two SP facilities in Canada, serving as a satellite location for Ontario and eastern Canada. Their head office, based in Calgary, responds to any needs in central and western Canada.
SP utilizes a Canadian Disaster Response (CDR) Team that is in constant contact with provincial and municipal governments, non-government organizations, and area churches. It aims to have someone on the ground at disaster sites, assessing the situation and current needs.
“When they’ve assessed the need, they will call us with the equipment that is needed and the request goes out for leadership volunteers,” said Peter.
While SP has a network of volunteers who will answer the call, they also utilize volunteers from the impacted communities they visit, bringing them into their ranks and deploying them based on their strengths.
“You have to pick up really quickly on your volunteers and feel out their strengths. Not everybody knows how to use a drill or swing a hammer, but they might have some really good people skills,” explained Peter, who has served as a Team Leader on a variety of sites since joining SP six years ago.
He recalled his first experience, going to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Michael: “SP Canada was asked to bring down some of our equipment to help their US teams. John asked me if I would be willing to drive down with them. I was in a place where I had been searching and praying for God to show me a way that I could serve Him, so this seemed like a good place to start. When we arrived in Florida, the devastation was overwhelming. I was asked to volunteer with the teams that went out and helped with clean up and was quickly embraced into the SP family. After a week, I returned home, but couldn’t stop thinking about how much help was still needed and why couldn’t that be me? So, I made arrangements to go back for another week of volunteering, which turned into leading my own team. And I guess it hasn’t stopped since.”
The Press was given a tour of SP’s facility, located on Highway 6 South just outside of Caledonia. Utilizing five bays, the fleet consists of 19 pieces of equipment, from converted trailers referred to as DRUs (Disaster Relief Units) on site, to portable sleeping units, working shower and laundry facilities, a portable kitchen, power bay, and generator with enough juice to power an entire operation, plus enough equipment to outfit a small army of volunteers.
The DRUs are meticulously organized portable workstations, with tools and accessories neatly shelved and labelled and full work kits ready for volunteers to grab. In the upper storage area, heavy equipment, including tarps, wheelbarrows, vacuums, power washers, ladders, and chainsaws are neatly organized and stored.
Stored alongside the tools is a shelf full of bibles, given out by SP volunteers to those impacted by disaster, and a shelf full of orange t-shirts, given to volunteers so they are easily identifiable on site. Further cupboards contain a wide variety of PPE, giving volunteers all the tools and resources needed to work safely.
When SP receives the call to deploy, the first step is to make a list of equipment needed, followed by arranging and organizing trucks, and then volunteer drivers (often requiring specialized licence requirements).
“The hardest part of it all is to ‘hurry up and wait’. We need to be ready to go but will often have to wait until our CDR managers have received the go-ahead from the local governments. Travelling as a convoy of eight to nine trucks and trailers has its own traffic difficulties and being able to find a place to stop for the night that can accommodate that many large vehicles is rarely easy,” said Peter.
Volunteers set out into impacted neighbourhoods, leaving behind door knockers containing SP’s number and some information on the free services they provide.
Inside each DRU is an office space that serves as a hub of operations, “Once we get on a site, we’ll usually have three main people working out of here. They’ll take orders. We have a direct line that comes right to us…. They’ll write down the name, the person, the address, and what needs to get done,” said Beverly. “Once that’s completed, we send someone to talk to the homeowner, and see whether they’re willing to let us come on site and help them…. Our assessor scans the site for anything dangerous before we send in our volunteers.”
The team knows that they will likely be dealing with people at their most vulnerable when they deploy to a site.
“Our job, first and foremost, is to show them the love of Jesus,” said Peter. “That can be in providing physical help by cleaning up debris, repairs, etc. or as simple as a hug or shoulder to cry on. We would not be able to stand by the homeowners if we did not have the presence and support of the Billy Graham Chaplains. They also come alongside us to every disaster response to provide that emotional and spiritual support that is always needed – for homeowners, volunteers, and leaders alike.”
SP also works side by side with other faith-based relief organizations, such as the Mennonite Disaster Relief and Christian Aid Ministries.
On site work can require a variety of skills, from general labour and heavy lifting to more advanced trades, “In forest fires, often houses have been completely demolished and only ashes remain. We get in there and try to find remnants of stuff. After tornados you’re into all kinds of chainsaw work. After flooding we often clean out basements, whatever height the water level is at,” said John.
Once the team returns from a disaster site, the cycle begins again, with the team working diligently with their volunteers to ensure that all the equipment is cleaned, in good working order, and that all supplies on DRUs have been restocked ahead of their next deployment.
The work is a labour of love for all involved, and a true calling: “I truly believe that this is where God has called me to be. I feel pulled to serve Him by helping others, and He has continually provided ways for me to be able to answer that calling. The people that I work with at Samaritan’s Purse are not just friends – they become family. They are brothers and sisters in Christ that are there for you in all times, praying for you and for each other. And that support gives you the strength to keep going, keep leading, keep sharing, helping in Jesus’ name.”
The group is always looking for new volunteers, with options for how to do so available on their website online at samaritanspurse.ca.
In particular, Peter said those who feel a “stronger calling” to do this type of work often make great Site Team Leaders, serving as the connection on-site between the volunteers and the homeowners receiving help.
SP is an outstanding example of how like-minded people can come together and build an excellent community resource together.
Peter summed up the passion that drives all involved, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”
