ORLANDO, Fla. — A Salvation Army team in Orlando prepared to leave Saturday morning for Florida’s Panhandle, bringing water, supplies and plans to provide meals to people affected by the hurricane.
“Well, we’re preparing to leave for Panama City, which is a staging area for our eventual trip into Pensacola,” volunteer Steve Holdeman said.
Holdeman has volunteered in disaster relief for about 10 years. He said previous deployments have shown him how important access to food and water can be after a disaster.
“A lot of the places that we’ve been, the grocery stores are closed. So, any meal, any water that they can get is very much needed and they’re very appreciative of it,” Holdeman said.
The team is taking a rapid response vehicle and a mobile feeding unit. Together, they can provide about 1,500 meals a day, according to Nic Freeman, the Salvation Army’s director of volunteer services.
Crews can prepare meals on the mobile feeding unit or deliver food prepared by other relief organizations.
“We are going to be providing emotional and spiritual support as well as food services and anything else that’s needed when we are there,” Freeman said.
This is Freeman’s first deployment with the Salvation Army. He said deployments can last up to 14 days, though the exact length of this trip is uncertain.
“We pride ourselves on doing the most good. And so that means that any time, we have the opportunity to go out and share and support the folks that are in the most need, we go out and do so,” Freeman said.
The Salvation Army plans to work alongside other organizations to help affected communities recover.
“I am there grateful and honored to serve and hoping that we can make as big an impact as possible,” Freeman said.
The organization is also asking for donations and encourages people to volunteer with their local Salvation Army.