St. James & Episcopal Diocese of Dallas Respond To Harvey

Two initiatives headed by our Dioseans Disaster Relief Team, supported by St. James and other parishes in the Diocese, will require sustained effort for quite some time. This newsletter provides information about how to help with both! 

The Diocese of Dallas Disaster Response Team has met several times since Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the Texas coast. The team is eager to extend helping hands to our brothers and sisters, yet remains convinced that restraint is needed. As a result, we met some initial needs immediately, but know that the bulk of our efforts will lie before us. As Mother Rebecca said a few weeks ago, "This is an Ironman, not a sprint." 

The Response Team recently sent a fact-finding team to the region, and the information they attained provided much needed clarity. 

Read on to learn about how you can help with the 2 initiatives!

Donate School Uniforms

There is an ongoing need to clothe and supply school children displaced by the storm. What we initially thought might only be a short-term project, it has turned out to be quite an extensive effort. School officials tell us that they are estimating an influx of 140 children (who will likely attend JFK Elementary, Spence Middle, and North Dallas High). Each of these children needs 3-4 uniforms, as laundry services are at a premium and children don't generally wear the same clothes each day.

St. James will continue to collect:
  • khaki or navy colored pants 
  • white collared (golf/polo) shirts, particularly for kindergarten through 5th grade. 
  • belts
  • underwear
  • black or white children's shoes (and socks) 
  • school supplies-such as 2-inch 3-ring notebooks, tablets, paper, pencils, erasers, pens, zipper binders, and backpacks-continue to be needed. 

You may bring your donations to St. James (collection bins are available in the Chapel) or drop them off at the main collection center at St. Matthew's Cathedral (5100 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75206).

 

For questions, contact Mother Rebecca.
Join Direct Disaster Relief Efforts

With flood waters now receding, the immediate need over the next few months is going to be general demolition labor (which requires very little skill - only willing hands and feet). This opens up numerous opportunities for parishioners to travel to the region in order to love our neighbors and lend a helpful hand. 

A coordinated effort across the Diocese will require three kinds of teams: 
  • planning, 
  • work, and 
  • support.  
Planning teams would primarily remain here in Dallas, working to coordinate efforts of work and support teams. Those assigned to both the work and support teams would travel to the region, where the work team would accomplish low-skilled tasks under a competent team manager, while the support team would provide necessities like beverages and meals. The important point here is that everyone who wants to help-can help! We can find work for everyone, so please know that anyone who commits to go to the region will commit to participate in training in advance to maximize our impact.

We will focus on Aransas Pass, Port Aransas, and Rockport. The Diocesan Response Team has established church hubs in each of these areas, and so we will work with people on the ground who know the area well. 

The team asks 2 things of us:

1. To purchase a trailer and all the tools and equipment to support two crews of 5-10 people at a time, they need to raise $10,500. To support this effort please make your check payable to St. James Episcopal Church and specify "Diocesan Disaster Relief Equipment" in the memo line. We will aggregate the gifts and send them to the Diocese.
2. To help the Team understand your interest in serving on a team & the nature of the work you could perform, please complete this Relief Work Survey  at your earliest opportunity .

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