The One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be collected on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
When you give to One Great Hour of Sharing, you deploy resources to people in need all around the world, and in our own communities. When man-made or natural disasters strike, love responds. Not just for the immediate future, but for the long haul. When you give to One Great Hour of Sharing, you are working alongside families to restore not only structures, but hope. Your giving ensures that no matter how difficult the situation, Love remains.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
— 1 Cor. 13:13
On Memorial Day 2019, tornadoes swept through the Miami Valley of Ohio, destroying thousands of homes and apartments and leaving a trail of downed trees and power lines in their wake. Many of the tornado-affected families have had to relocate multiple times since the tornadoes due to substandard housing conditions and inflated rent.
Two years after the storm, the Stephens family were still unable to find adequate living quarters. The family of ten was forced to live apart. In addition to dealing with unscrupulous contractors, the family had to haggle with insurance companies as they tried to rebuild their home. The Stephenses, like so many other families, remained in temporary housing and separated, pending the completion of repairs.
Yet, all was not lost. The Stephens family connected with the Miami Valley Long-Term Recovery Operations Group, and volunteer teams finished the repairs.
Alongside these traditional home repair projects, and with support from One Great Hour of Sharing, the MVLTROG helped launch the Tornado Survivors’ Pathways to Homeownership Project to help alleviate the housing crunch in the Dayton area. Volunteers and local nonprofits work together to transition “nuisance” properties and vacant lots into affordable, single-family housing options for tornado survivors who were displaced from rental housing, stabilizing both families and the community. First-time homeowners receive the support they need to build for their futures.
Sammy Deacon, Brethren Disaster Ministries Long-Term Project Leader, says “When you reach out to help someone else, the blessing comes back to you as well. An important aspect of the recovery effort is listening to people’s stories and knowing you have the opportunity to help them—physically and spiritually.”
With support for long-term recovery, including innovative programs like the Pathways to Homeownership project, One Great Hour of Sharing helps create opportunities for families to thrive after disasters. Because love remains.
