Crisfield, MD – Jan. 5-11, 2025

The long term team arrived on Thursday, Jan. 2, and started right in on preparing the facility for the new winter term here.  No one has been onsite for MDS here since March of 2024 so there was cleaning and organizing to do, along with hooking up the three RVs for some of the Long Term Volunteers.  Our long term team includes Jeff and Jane Holly, from Ontario, Ron and Char Roth, from Ohio, Adam Blough, from New York, and Mike and Linda Stuckey, from Ohio.  We’re excited to get started again on the work in this community.

We were greeted with unseasonably cold weather for this area, along with ice and snow over the weekend.  That has given us some added challenges for sure!  Our short term volunteers arrived on Sunday afternoon, after a long two day drive from Iowa, but they are enthusiastic and ready to work!

Monday morning found us facing some more ice and  snow.  Six of the volunteers went with their crew leader, Jeff, to the site of the new build.  They moved and leveled dirt inside the foundation of the house. Mid-morning they arrived back at camp, finding it too difficult to work in the weather.  In the afternoon, some of them joined the four other short term volunteers and their crew leader, Ron, at the house that has been elevated and needs repairs done before the owner can move in.

The rest of the week found us with sunshine, but still snow, cold and brisk winds, along with freezing temperatures.  The crews spent the days working at repairs at the elevated house, putting in flooring and building a stand for the air conditioner, and at the new build putting on floor joists and starting the exterior walls on Thursday.

By Friday, new vinyl laminate flooring had been installed throughout the elevated house for Ms. Denise, and the exterior walls are up on the new build.

Looking forward to some sunshine and warmer temperatures next week!  : )

Long term team – Adam Blough, Jeff & Jane Holly, Ron & Char Roth and Mike & Linda Stuckey