Pennsylvania VOAD is responding to the needs of communities across the State. Below, you will find information regarding our current responses. For more information on how you can assist our response efforts, click here. You can learn more about the response activities of National VOAD members by viewing the NVOAD VOAD VISION.
Volunteers are needed
Member agencies of PAVOAD are currently assisting in several responses. We do this in partnership with county departments of emergency services, PEMA, FEMA, and numerous community partners. You can stay up to date with the ongoing national responses at www.NVOAD.org. You can learn more about current needs and coordinated relief efforts here. You can learn more about national efforts from the NLIHC Disaster Housing Recovery Update.
Do Not Self-deploy to disaster areas.
Trusted VOAD organizations operating in the affected area know where volunteers are needed. Depending on the disaster and the current phase it is in, volunteers can be extremely helpful to ensure survivors can return to their new normal. By working with an established VOAD agencies, the appropriate safety, training and skills can be considered.
Recovery lasts a lot longer than media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often many years, after the disaster. Your help often is needed long after a disaster.
If your organization has active response, please send your situation reports topavoad3@gmail.com. You can stay up to date with the ongoing national responses atwww.NVOAD.org and at www.pavoad.org. Local VOAD groups are responding to events throughout the Commonwealth. You can get a list of all the FEMA declared disasters here.
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Volunteers are needed for responses in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Delaware counties. Watch for news about responses to begin in Lycoming, Potter, and Tioga counties. There are Construction Project Managers on site to guide and support as needed. Materials and tools are available. Come for a day or stay for a week! Housing/food is available in some locations, if needed. To volunteer or to get more information, contact:
Southeast PA Counties – Denise Shelton at pr-volunteers@epaumc.org, ☎️484-441-6637.
Berks County — Sharon Sgriccia at berksrecoveryvolunteers@gmail.com.
Volunteer Work Days have been announced for the response in Berks County. Many projects are close to completion. Volunteers are needed for Saturday, April 26 to help complete work in various homes in the mobile home park and in a home in Maiden Creek.
Recently PEMA held a press conference in Berks County to talk about the success of this response and the Disaster Recovery Assistance Program (DRAP). Watch the press conference featuring these speakers: Randy Padfield, Director of PEMA, State Senator Judy Schwank, Brian Gottschall, Director, Berks County DES, and Julia Frank, President of PAVOAD. You can read a Reading Eagle article here.
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Volunteering is Good for Your Health.
Check out these statistics:
- Older volunteers in the U.S. experienced a 44% lower mortality rate than those who did not volunteer. (Source: Americorps)
- Volunteering leads to an 8.54% increase in mental health. (Source: BMC Public Health)
- 64% of employees who volunteer said it improved work relationships. (Source: United Health Group)
For more information, click volunteering statistics.
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DCED has announced the approval of $18,633,011 in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants to help 16 projects in southeast Pennsylvania with housing rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements in response to Hurricane Ida in 2021, which include Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. You can see the project breakdown here. For more information about the CDBG-DR program or DCED, visit the DCED website.