OBI President Bill Horan (green shirt) and to his right, Jody Herrington, U.S. director of disaster relief, meet with a team of 16 Navy crew members volunteering from the USS Newport News.

SUFFOLK, Va. - For the first time, Operation Blessing and the American Red Cross are joining together to bring relief in the midst of disaster.

After Monday's devastating tornadoes swept through southeastern Virginia, Operation Blessing set up their base of relief operations at Open Door Church.

By 7 a.m. the next morning they had a mobile kitchen on site provided by Mercy Chefs, standing ready to prepare meals.

"The American Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia asked us to support their mass feeding efforts by serving the relief workers so they could concentrate on reaching victims in the temporary shelters," said OBI President Bill Horan.

Together, Operation Blessing and the Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia prepared and delivered 1,000 meals to emergency personnel assisting tornado victims.

"We've cooperated many times with the Red Cross, but this is the first time we've officially partnered with them on something and we're thrilled about that," Horan added.

By the end of the day, more than 1,000 meals had been prepared and loaded into Red Cross vehicles for distribution to disaster relief workers and emergency personnel at emergency operations centers, firehouses and temporary shelters.

Among the team of volunteers were 16 Navy crew members from the USS Newport News led by Chief Gary Crossfield who arrived mid-morning to offer assistance.

"We saw all the trucks and figured this would be a good place to stop in and see where they needed bodies," Crossfield said.

As relief efforts continue, Operation Blessing is focusing their attention on debris removal and has construction loaders and other equipment ready to begin assisting victims with the cleanup process.

Residents can submit work order requests with OBI staff and volunteers at Open Door Church, located at 816 Kings Fork Road in Suffolk, Va.

"This is the first time we've officially partnered with the Red Cross and we're thrilled about that," OBI President Bill Horan said.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of Operation Blessing's disaster relief efforts to those affected by the recent tornadoes in Virginia by making an on-line donation today. With your support, OBI can continue to bring emergency food, water and aid to those recovering from these deadly storms.

 

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