A crew from JZ Engineering—designers of the driveway bridges MDS volunteers have been building for several years in West Virginia—volunteered in July to build a bridge in Pocahontas County. Johann Zimmermann, principal engineer, and his employees...
A schoolteacher and his family in Bessemer City, North Carolina, are safely in a newly repaired home thanks to volunteers coordinated by the North Carolina Unit of Mennonite Disaster Service. After a windstorm ripped part of the roof off the home,...
Even though most MDS projects remain closed, we bring you news of volunteers working creatively—and safely—as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect tens of thousands of people every day in the U.S. and Canada. I understand that MDS volunteers...
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers are arriving in Willow, Alaska, ready to work as quickly as possible to get wildfire survivors safely into their homes before the onset of winter—and do it as safely as possible during the pandemic....
Photo: Karla Hovde, Faith Mennonite church member After the death of George Floyd, people in Minneapolis took to the streets to work through their pain and their anger. During the protests, some stores and businesses were looted and damaged....
Ron Long can easily recall times in his life when his job was extremely difficult, both physically and mentally. As a young man, after considering going into social work, he realized he liked using his hands. He began his career in construction as a...
The MDS Canada Spirit of MDS Fund issued 19 new grants to churches across Canada in May and June. Since launching in April, MDS Canada has provided a total of $43,000 to 40 churches and other organizations for programs and services to help people...
There’s a job card is on its way to Strasburg, Ohio, signed by a flood survivor from West Virginia, about to give the official “go-ahead” for a creative MDS response that will occur safely even amid the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a tall...
For all the volunteers wondering when MDS will reopen projects with overnight accommodations, the answer is—not yet. But thoughtful planning and visioning is taking place behind the scenes to ensure that, when projects do reopen, they’ll do so as...
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