The Somebody Cares Disaster Response approach is a Church-Based response. Throughout the many disasters the Somebody Cares network has been part of—from Tropical Storm Allison flooding in 2001 to the Southeast Asia tsunami to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ivan and Wilma—we’ve seen how the church responds quicker than any other agency. Even the government has taken note of this! A Homeland Security Institute report issued in December 2006 states: “It was neighborhood congregations….—the local fabric of America—that appeared to have carried the day to a great degree.”

That’s because the church is the heart of its community, and our highest common denominator is Jesus. We were made for adversity because we were made to be the peacemakers in the midst of the storms.

Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on administrative overhead; the Somebody Cares network funnels donated funds and urgently needed resources directly to communities that are hardest hit – to be distributed by church-based volunteers who know and love their neighbors and neighborhoods. Being a tangible expression of God’s love to our neighbors means we must excel at unity, organization, and giving.

Our goal is to see churches capable to reach their communities and be there on the ground with tangible resources to meet the desperate needs of disaster survivors. To do this we recognize that we need to work with government agencies and other organizations without losing our distinctiveness.

When disasters happen, people have very desperate needs. Often, resources to meet the needs become tied up in bureaucracy. We work with agencies like FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and others. They have great systems, but the church has people who know their communities. These agencies are not our only source for disaster response; rather we look at our resources to facilitate aid directly in communities affected by disaster.