Christian Peterson
reporter@riverbendnews.org
In times of community need, many people volunteer their time and efforts to help those in need. Throughout history, churches have been at the forefront of community outreach, and that remains the same today. In the aftermath of Idalia, the streets were filled with debris, tons of people were without power and dealing with a loss of food. This is where The Orchard Community Church stepped in to help.
The Orchard is a multi-campus church spreading across Suwannee and surrounding counties. Pastor of the Orchard Lake City location, Chip Parker, immediately sent an email out to the congregation urging them to help with the disaster. “Before yesterday, North Central Florida had never had a recorded major hurricane make landfall on our shores,” his email read. “We have now. Our friends, family and neighbors in Suwannee, Lafayette and especially Taylor county have been hit hard. Now is our chance to step up and be there for them.” Close to 150 volunteers from the church stepped up in some capacity. “We fed around 200 first responders and emergency personnel in Taylor County the day after Idalia,” Parker said. “We also fed National Guard units stationed for relief in southern Suwannee County, helped pass out meals and MREs in Suwannee and Hamilton Counties and, just this week, we packed over 200 comfort kits in Dixie County.”
However, food was not the only area where the volunteers helped; they served in almost every capacity possible: in emergency shelters, removing trees and debris, providing chain saws and tractor work, helping get gas and generators to those who needed it, and even coordinating with local officials to help wherever they could. Together, the volunteers served a cumulative 1,000 hours in five different counties. “Our church loves the rural communities of North Central Florida,” Parker stated. “When Idalia hit us at home, we were ready to answer the call to help.”
Even though the relief efforts have slowed down as the public moves past the devastation of Idalia, The Orchard continues to have volunteers where and when they are needed. “We are now helping as those in the communities reach out to us,” Parker said. The best way to get help is to call the church office at (386) 758-3400 and they will put you in touch with the location pastor for your area.