A tornado struck the Missouri neighborhood where a friend’s parents lived.
Their house was damaged but still standing and structurally sound. Some of their neighbors’ homes were completely destroyed.
My friend and I traveled out to help his family. We cleared debris, cut up downed trees, and worked through the jobs that needed doing.
There was plenty of work.
But what has stayed with me just as clearly as the destruction was the response from the surrounding communities.
People seemed to come out of the woodwork.
Nurses were giving tetanus shots along the side of the road. People brought burgers for lunch.
I remember those as some of the best burgers I have ever eaten. A morning spent clearing tornado debris will certainly improve your appreciation of lunch, but so will knowing that somebody made the effort to bring it to you.
The local Ace Hardware set up a tent and sharpened chainsaw chains for free. We could drop one off, pick up a sharpened one the next morning, and repeat the process in the afternoon.
Think about what that meant.
People cutting trees could keep working. Someone feeding the volunteers gave them one less thing to arrange. Medical professionals brought their skills to where people were working.
Different people saw different needs and found ways to meet them.
I cannot tell you how every part of that effort was organized. I can tell you what it looked like to someone standing in the middle of it.
It was amazing.
The destruction was enormous, but so was the willingness to help.
That experience has stayed with me because it made something very clear: a community’s ability to recover depends in part on people willing to contribute.
Some bring training. Some bring tools. Some bring a meal at exactly the right time.
You do not have to be able to do everything. You can become someone who does one useful thing well.
Volunteering gives us a way to develop those abilities and relationships before the next family needs them.
You Have Something Useful to Offer
When people hear “disaster volunteer,” they may picture someone wearing a helmet, operating heavy equipment, or carrying a medical bag.
Those people matter.
So do the people keeping them supplied, informed, organized, and fed.
Cooking, bookkeeping, equipment maintenance, scheduling, teaching, answering phones or radios, and keeping accurate records can all support useful work.
Someone who patiently teaches another person how to operate equipment contributes something that may remain valuable long after the lesson ends.
Someone who accepts a recurring task and reliably completes it gives an organization one less problem to solve.
You can also learn a skill you do not yet possess.
A good volunteer program helps you understand what is needed, prepares you for the assignment, and gives you opportunities to practice.
Along the way, you learn things that strengthen your own preparedness: how to communicate clearly, work with a team, maintain equipment, adapt when arrangements change, and recognize when you need help.
The benefits travel in both directions.
You contribute to your community. You become more capable yourself.
A Church May Be a Good Place to Start
For many people, a church is a natural place to begin.
If you already attend one, you may know the people and understand the purpose. There may be an established ministry that needs exactly the time or ability you can offer.
If you do not attend a church, you can still ask about community service opportunities and what participation involves. A conversation may introduce you to people doing useful work close to home.
A meals ministry may need someone who can cook, organize a schedule, or deliver dinner to a family dealing with illness.
A ministry serving older or homebound members may need volunteers to make agreed check-in calls, help with errands, or arrange minor repairs.
A facilities team may welcome help maintaining equipment, organizing supplies, or identifying work that needs a qualified professional.
These activities build habits that matter during emergencies: understanding needs, keeping commitments, communicating, and working alongside others.
They also build relationships.
There is a meaningful difference between recognizing someone across a room and knowing that they live alone, have limited transportation, and would welcome a call during a prolonged outage.
Ask permission. Respect privacy. Let people explain what would help.
For Christians, this can be a practical expression of loving our neighbors. You do not need a disaster declaration to begin.
A useful first step: Ask a ministry leader, “What task needs doing regularly, and could I help with it?”
Why Emergency Managers Work With Churches
Those everyday relationships can become especially valuable during a disaster.
FEMA explicitly recognizes faith-based organizations in its training and planning. Its courses address working with religious communities, coordinating voluntary organizations, and preparing community and faith-based partners for shelter operations.
There is a practical reason for that.
A local congregation already has relationships that an arriving response team must begin building.
Its members may know which neighbors live alone, which families have limited transportation, and who needs assistance communicating. They may know whom residents trust and how to reach people who are easily overlooked.
A church may also have volunteers accustomed to preparing meals, organizing deliveries, maintaining facilities, and caring for people through difficult circumstances.
FEMA’s guidance encourages emergency managers to build on those established relationships and resources throughout preparedness, response, and recovery.
But a willing congregation still needs a workable plan.
A fellowship hall does not automatically become a suitable emergency shelter because someone found the thermostat and put the coffee on.
Emergency managers should reach out to church leaders before an incident. What could the church reliably provide? What training, accessibility arrangements, supplies, supervision, and agreements would that require? Who would coordinate requests and volunteers?
One congregation might prepare meals. Another could organize agreed check-ins, distribute requested supplies, or support a recovery project.
The assignment should match the church’s abilities.
These partnerships allow independent local ministries to contribute effectively alongside other organizations. Their value can continue after outside teams leave.
The church remains in the community, alongside families repairing homes and working through the long aftermath.
Caring for neighbors today builds relationships that may become especially valuable during a disaster.
Give Your Volunteer Fire Department a Look
If your community has a volunteer fire department, find out how it recruits and what it needs.
Operational firefighting requires substantial training, physical capability, and an ongoing commitment. Responders accept serious responsibilities and risks.
Some departments also offer opportunities outside emergency operations.
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s Fire Corps program helps departments involve volunteers in support roles, adding capacity while allowing trained responders to concentrate on their duties. Local opportunities vary.
Ask about administrative work, public education, fundraising, or other approved support activities.
Offer your abilities, but listen to the department’s needs. The task that helps most may be different from the one you first imagined.
Someone who keeps records accurate or handles a recurring support assignment can make a meaningful contribution.
The apparatus does not become ready for service because everyone admired it at the last open house.
People do the work.
A useful first step: Contact the department through its nonemergency number or published volunteer recruitment channel. Ask about both operational and support opportunities.
Search and Rescue: More Than Owning Good Boots
Search-and-rescue teams deserve consideration, particularly where people travel through mountains, desert, forests, and remote country.
This work can demand considerable preparation.
Ask an established team about training, fitness expectations, equipment, expenses, travel, callouts, and the time needed to remain proficient.
Be honest about your circumstances.
A pleasant afternoon hike and an extended search assignment in difficult terrain or bad weather place very different demands on a person.
Ask about support roles, too. Depending on the team, there may be useful work involving communications, logistics, administration, or equipment.
In New Mexico, the Search and Rescue Council supports training and the SAR community; it does not itself handle search missions. Individual teams are the place to ask about joining and serving.
Enthusiasm gets you interested.
Training, judgment, and dependable participation make you useful.
A useful first step: Ask a local team about an introductory meeting and what a new member’s first year typically requires.
ARES and RACES: Give Communications a Purpose
Amateur radio offers another way to put practical skills to work.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service, or ARES, provides an organized path for licensed operators interested in public-service and emergency communications. Your local ARES Emergency Coordinator can explain participation and training.
RACES, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, operates through civil emergency management arrangements. ARES and RACES are distinct, although local personnel and activities may overlap. Ask how each operates in your area.
The preparation behind the radio matters.
Can you pass a message accurately? Operate away from your usual station? Use the equipment, power arrangements, and procedures expected for an assignment?
Do you understand whom you support and who directs the work?
Buying a handheld radio does not automatically make someone an emergency communicator any more than buying a wrench makes them the county mechanic.
Fortunately, both can learn.
Regular practice gives you an opportunity to become proficient, discover weaknesses, and correct them before someone depends on your equipment or your message.
A useful first step: Contact your local ARES Emergency Coordinator or emergency management office. Ask about an introductory meeting, training, and scheduled communications exercises.
CERT: Look for an Active Program
Community Emergency Response Team programs can introduce residents to basic disaster skills and organized community participation.
FEMA’s introductory online course explains the program. Becoming a CERT volunteer requires the locally offered classroom training; the online introduction alone does not complete that preparation.
Look for a program that continues developing its members after the initial course.
Ask when the team last trained, what it practiced, and how volunteers put their abilities to work.
A useful program should be able to explain its purpose, responsibilities, limits, and expectations for new members.
Meetings, planning, and records all have a place. They should lead to practice, clear assignments, and useful work.
Apply that standard to every organization in this article.
A useful first step: Ask local emergency management about active CERT programs, the next basic course, and opportunities to observe an exercise.
Team Rubicon: Another Route to Service
For people interested in organized disaster work, Team Rubicon offers another option.
The veteran-led humanitarian organization welcomes military veterans and civilians and serves communities before, during, and after disasters.
Its volunteer process includes registration, a skills and interests profile, a background check, and introductory training.
Investigate the available assignments and their requirements. Consider how they fit your abilities, interests, and household responsibilities.
Military experience may offer useful preparation, but civilians also bring valuable skills and experience.
The common requirement is a willingness to learn and contribute within an organized team.
A useful first step: Review Team Rubicon’s volunteer information and registration process. Ask about opportunities and training near you.
What Could Two Hours a Month Accomplish?
Imagine if everyone who could reasonably do so gave two hours a month to useful service.
One hundred people would contribute 200 hours every month.
Over a year, that would be 2,400 hours of work shared across a community.
Meals prepared. Supplies organized. Repairs completed. Neighbors checked on. Regular volunteers given a little breathing room.
Those hours need suitable assignments and someone to coordinate the work.
And two hours a month will not meet the requirements for every role. Operational firefighting, search and rescue, emergency communications assignments, and disaster deployments can require much more time, including ongoing training.
But many useful community tasks can fit into a modest, predictable commitment.
You might help prepare a meal, organize supplies, update records, or assist with a scheduled project.
Ask what is needed and how much time the task actually requires. Then agree on something you can finish.
“The same six people do everything” should describe a problem we are working to solve, rather than the permanent operating plan.
Health, caregiving, employment, and other responsibilities affect what people can offer. Some contributions can be made from home. Others require travel or physical work.
Find a suitable task.
A small commitment, kept consistently, becomes something other people can count on.
Find a Good Fit—and Prepare to Follow Through
Understand the organization before joining.
Read its mission, beliefs, policies, and expectations. Ask practical questions:
- What would a new volunteer actually do?
- What training and screening are required?
- Who assigns and supervises the work?
- What time, equipment, travel, and expenses should I expect?
- What protection or coverage applies to my assignment?
- Can I observe a meeting or training session before committing?
Consider your responsibilities at home, too.
Who will care for your family, animals, property, and other obligations while you serve? Discuss the commitment with the people affected.
A good fit lets you contribute reliably without making promises your circumstances cannot support.
Once you join, arrive ready to learn. Follow procedures, accept instruction, and work within your qualifications.
If an assignment exceeds your abilities or physical limits, say so. If your availability changes, communicate early.
During a disaster, follow the organization’s deployment process. Arrange your participation before traveling into an affected area. Know your assignment and what arrangements you need for travel, food, lodging, and equipment.
Good intentions become more useful when someone can plan around them.
Volunteer leaders have a responsibility here, too: welcome newcomers, explain requirements, communicate clearly, and provide meaningful work. People should not complete six forms and then disappear into a filing cabinet.
Yes, There Will Be Paperwork
Sometimes volunteering feels like applying for a job that has already announced it will never pay you.
Forms. Background checks. Orientation. Training. Another form confirming that you completed the training about the first form.
I recently had to get fingerprints taken.
Apparently, “I’m here to help” does not complete the application.
It can be frustrating when you showed up ready to work. But reasonable screening serves a purpose.
Organizations working with children need to take precautions about who has access to them. People entering damaged homes may encounter vulnerable residents, personal belongings, and private information.
We do not want to put a child predator in a school or hand an axe murderer an axe simply because he checked the box marked “enthusiastic.”
Screening and equipment qualifications address different concerns. A background check may help assess suitability for a role; training, demonstrated ability, and supervision help establish whether someone can safely perform the work.
No screening process guarantees good judgment or good conduct. Still, organizations have a responsibility to take reasonable precautions.
Depending on the role, you may encounter:
- Applications, references, and interviews. Expect questions about your experience, availability, and reasons for volunteering.
- Background checks or fingerprinting. Some assignments require additional screening, particularly when volunteers work with children or vulnerable people.
- Required training and refreshers. An introductory class may be followed by supervised practice, exercises, or periodic renewal.
- Confidentiality and conduct agreements. You may need to follow rules about personal information, photographs, social media, and contact with the people you serve.
- Driving requirements. Transporting people or operating an organization’s vehicle may involve license, driving-record, insurance, or additional training requirements.
- Physical or health requirements. Some assignments involve lifting, prolonged standing, difficult terrain, protective equipment, or other demands. Ask what the actual job requires.
- Attendance and availability expectations. Teams may require regular meetings, practice, minimum participation, or shifts longer than you initially imagined.
- Personal expenses. Find out who pays for screening, training, clothing, equipment, mileage, meals, and lodging before committing.
None of these requirements applies to every volunteer position. A kitchen shift, a school assignment, and a search-and-rescue deployment involve different responsibilities.
Ask questions if a requirement is unclear. Understand how sensitive information will be collected and protected, and use the organization’s verified application process.
Reasonable precautions deserve cooperation. Unclear requirements deserve an explanation.
Then, if the organization and its process make sense, go with the flow.
Complete the paperwork, take the training, and help them put you to useful work.
The Work Still Matters When Nobody Is Watching
Some volunteer assignments are memorable.
Others involve cleaning equipment, counting supplies, updating records, and putting away tables.
Those jobs matter, too.
A team needs equipment that works, information it can trust, and people who complete the tasks they accept.
Serving well also means respecting the people receiving help. Ask what they need. Respect their privacy and decisions. Remember that their difficult day belongs to them.
You may be there for an afternoon.
They may be rebuilding their lives for months.
Practical help, offered with patience and dignity, can make that process a little easier.
Find Your Starting Point
- Church ministries: Ask a nearby congregation about meals, check-ins, facilities work, or other service opportunities and participation requirements.
- Fire and EMS support: National Volunteer Fire Council — Fire Corps explains support roles. Contact your local department about its needs.
- Search and rescue: New Mexico Search and Rescue Council — Membership and Teams explains how to get involved through local volunteer teams. Outside New Mexico, consult your state or local SAR authority.
- Amateur radio service: ARRL — ARES and RACES FAQ explains the programs and where to begin.
- CERT: FEMA — Introduction to CERT, IS-317.A provides an introduction. Ask local emergency management about hands-on basic training and active teams.
- Team Rubicon: Volunteer information and registration outlines the process for becoming a Greyshirt volunteer.
For churches and emergency managers planning together, FEMA offers IS-505: Concepts of Religious Literacy for Emergency Management, IS-288.A: The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Emergency Management, and IS-406: Operating a Shelter. Its Engaging Faith-Based and Community Organizations guide offers additional planning guidance.
Your First Assignment: Have One Conversation
Choose one ministry or organization and contact it this week.
You can keep the introduction simple:
“I’d like to help. What do you need, and what commitment would that involve?”
Explain your availability and ask what would fit. Two hours a month can be a starting point for suitable tasks; find out what the role actually requires before accepting it.
Then take one concrete step: attend an orientation, observe a training session, complete an application, or agree to a manageable assignment.
You do not have to solve every problem in your community.
You could prepare one meal that gives a tired family an easier evening.
Complete one maintenance task that leaves equipment ready for the next person.
Help organize one project so a regular volunteer can finally take an afternoon off.
Or learn a skill you may someday use when a neighbor’s ordinary life has been turned upside down.
I still remember those burgers in Missouri. I remember the nurses, the sharpened chains, and the people who found ways to help.
They made difficult work easier. Their kindness stayed with me.
Somewhere near you, there is useful work waiting for a willing person. A conversation is a good place to start.