Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) first-time Project Director Lowell Peachey, and his wife, first-time Office Manager Rita Peachey, shared why they liked leading the Summer Youth Program, a weeklong service experience for high school youth. The...
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As the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, some Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) responders have looked back on that time as one in which the traditional model of response had to change. Tom Smucker, who was MDS Executive Director at...
Tom Smucker still regards responding to the Sept. 11 attacks 25 years ago one of the toughest responses he ever led for Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). Then MDS executive director—and now retired but still volunteering for MDS—Smucker analyzes...
Three young volunteers—Brandon Martin, 18; Miles Rissler, 19; and Brenna Eastman, 19—are ready to embark on a yearlong service adventure with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). They will travel to various disaster recovery projects across the U.S...
“Skill at performing tasks is secondary to the Christian values of humbly serving as the hands and feet of Jesus.” That’s how Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Project Director Rex Graham described why “Golden Hammer” award recipients were...
When Hurricane Helene sent a tree crashing through his house in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Johnny thought his family home was ruined forever. The storm struck in September 2024, and he moved to Maryland, at least temporarily, while he sorted...
Many Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers have met Miss Hazel—or Hazel Cropper…or her most famous name: “Hurricane Hazel.” Known as one of the matriarchs of the small town of Crisfield, Maryland, Miss Hazel holds world records in crab...
Generations of flooding—and generations of volunteers. Crisfield, Maryland, has seen them both. Located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, Crisfield has had more than its share of repeat flooding. For Mennonite Disaster Service...
Looking for local volunteer opportunities in Lancaster County? The MDS Lancaster Unit connects volunteers with disaster recovery projects across Lancaster and York Counties, helping homeowners recover from storm, flood, and fire damage. MDS local...
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