On Thursday I had the opportunity to go to Tuscaloosa and volunteer with another relief organization. Tuscaloosa is about an hour from Birmingham. I had been hoping I would have time to squeeze in a visit, so I jumped at the chance on Thursday. I had found a couple places online that were openly accepting volunteers. I settled on an organization called Project Blessings, mapped out the address, and off I went.

Project Blessings is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 to address the needs of those in the community who are in desperate need of home repair. Volunteers work side by side with the homeowners to make the necessaries repairs and renovations to ensure the home is safe and secure. Since the storm of April 27th, Project Blessings has been operating out of Woodland Forest Baptist Church to bring supplies and relief to the local communities. They have been taking in donations of food, water, clothing, toiletries, cleaning supplies and other items to distribute to those in need during this devastating time.

I helped out in the church gym turned distribution center sorting a big donation of clothes from Columbia. Columbia sent dozens of boxes filled with hundreds of shirts, pants, and outwear to assist the citizens of Tuscaloosa--many who have lost everything. When local residents come to Project Blessings, they sit down with a volunteer who takes their information and records the specific needs they have--much like how it is at Pratt City Disaster Resource Center. Then the volunteers head inside the gym to find the requested items. I helped put some brand new outfits together from the clothes we sorted that morning.

I enjoyed meeting the other volunteers and was interested in learning how each of them came to serve with Project Blessings. Alan, from Franklin, TN, read about Project Blessings online and came Thursday to volunteer at the end of a business trip in this area.

Keonte has been volunteering for about two weeks and heard about the project through a son of one of the people who founded Project Blessings. He helps residents when they first arrive at the center and he also helps provide material for the website by taking photos and interviewing residents and volunteers.

Ali and Liz are students at the University of Alabama. They were in their apartment when the tornado hit. After being warned by a neighbor, they rushed to the bathroom and crouched in the bathtub. They could feel the pressure change and hear the tornado destroying the community around them. Thankfully their apartment was spared, but the other side of the complex had some damage. They helped raised money through their sorority and come out as much as they can to volunteer with Project Blessings.

And Shawn, last but not least, is there each day helping to run the show. After the storm hit, Shawn would listen to the radio for ways to get involved. She would distribute bottled water and assist from morning to evening any way that she could. In her own words: "One day I heard about Project Blessings, showed up here and never left!" You'd never guess her profession... she's a glassblower!

I also got to speak with and hopefully encourage one of the local residents who came to Project Blessings to receive some assistance. Her name was Cynthia. Cynthia's house had minimal damage, but her friend James' house had significant damage. He has moved in with her until his home can be repaired. "God has a plan," Cynthia shared, "He had a plan for this storm. We have to trust Him and let him handle things." I asked her how we could specifically pray for her and

the community. "Pray for us each and every day. Pray that we will stay bonded in Christ. That is how recovery will happen." She also asked that I would thank people who have prayed for them, volunteered, or helped in any way. "Please thank them from the bottom of our hearts!"

You can find out more about Project Blessings at their website, www.projectblessings.org. They can always use volunteers. As it says on their page, no need to register, just show up! They can use help in their distribution center, and they are also still sending teams out each morning for home repair projects. They need more donations, especially cleaning supplies, paper towels, and big boxes of powdered laundry detergent.