• Sarah Schmitt

USF CERT and The Salvation Army Working Collaboration

Seminole Heights, FL (October 12, 2024) The Victory Tabernacle of Seminole Heights, FL is a campus volunteer organization which provides and promotes emergency preparedness within the University of South Florida and its surrounding areas.

With the onset of both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton student volunteers who have passed certification for disaster response were eager to reach out. They asked to join The Salvation Army in any capacity they could. A suitable pairing was found between exemplary volunteers and mobile feeding units. Two teams of volunteers, in two vehicles, spent three and a half hours delivering over 216 meals and drinks to shut-ins in a five-block area surrounding the canteen location.

For these young adults it was not a first for disaster exposure in Florida, but it was fresh exposure to dense levels of destruction coupled with working with The Salvation Army.

Personal testimony came in from USF students and team leads that spoke to the inner nature of the work. They also spoke to the mental and emotional satisfaction of working with integrated faith and practicum in disaster response.

One young student commented, “Volunteering with The Salvation Army has been eye- opening. Giving out food and water to people without power or electricity gave me joy and fulfillment. So thankful that USF CERT and The Salvation Army came together to take action.”

Members speaking to volunteers exclaimed how serving others became a blessing to themselves. They had never received gratitude and warmth from working in any community before. Each member that had the interaction waited to tell their first-ever stories from the giver perspective and were beyond grateful for having the opportunity.

Communities were welcoming and volunteers were appreciative of the local insight and help with language barriers. Students were learning and fulfilled utilizing their newly developed skills from the program and along the side of The Salvation Army. This is where in team leads expression “provide for people in the most basic of ways in food, water, and spirit.”

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