Jamaica Bay Relief Effort
Removing ten tons of debris is no easy task. But that’s how 200 members from the World Mission Society Church of God in New York spent their Sunday on September 22nd. Volunteers worked with the American Littoral Society to remove the debris that was left on the coastline since Hurricane Sandy’s damage to Broad Channel and the Rockaways last October.
To efficiently pick up planks, trash, boat wreckage, and bottles, among other environmental hazards, volunteers formed an assembly line of about a quarter-mile. In less than four hours, they were done pulling out the waste from the marshland.
“The area was completely flooded by Sandy. [It was] really destroyed,” said Cathy of the American Littoral Society. “It’s great that you guys were able to help us in this area because a lot of debris that you picked up was from Sandy. And here we are, almost a year later and it’s still sitting there.”
“Because we believe in God the Father and God the Mother, we put Their teachings into practice by volunteering in our community through service activities like today’s,” said one of the Church of God volunteers. “Christ came as the Good Samaritan. That’s why we want to help out in any way we can to make the world a better place.”
The Church of God has been working with the American Littoral Society over the past five years to help restore Jamaica Bay. This past spring, the volunteers helped plant salt marshes to prevent future floods, like the ones caused by Superstorm Sandy.
The Church of God has especially been helping Broad Channel and the Rockaways rebuild after the storm. Fifteen days immediately after Sandy, hundreds of Church of God volunteers cleaned out flooded homes for families and, more importantly, helped restore their peace of mind and gave them hope for the future.
