As we enter day three of recovery from one of the most devastating disasters in our county's history, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank the many of you who have already stepped up in extraordinary ways. We are all exhausted—many of you are still without power in your homes and businesses. Our public safety officers, public works crews and linemen are working tirelessly, despite being stretched to their limits. They, too, are exhausted, and any support or encouragement you can offer them would mean the world right now.
But the reality is, we still have a long way to go. Power companies are telling us we are still days out from having full power restoration across our community. The organizations we often turn to in times of disaster are also spread thin, responding to multiple crises across the state and country. We are making urgent pleas for essential supplies—truckloads of water, ice, portable showers, washing machines, ready-to-eat meals, and debris cleanup teams—but we are not alone in this. Communities all around us are fighting for the same resources.
In the midst of this, what inspires me most are the countless stories of neighbors helping neighbors. This is the heartbeat of our community. It’s the very mission of VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)—to serve our neighbors when they need it most. Now, we stand at a pivotal moment. How we respond today will define how we recover from this disaster.
Right now, we have more residents with power than without, but that means over 20,000 of our friends and neighbors are still without access to water, electricity, food, and basic hygiene. These are people we know, people we care about. This is the time for those of us who have power to step up for those who don’t.
We are making a special plea to our religious leaders, civic leaders, business leaders and faith communities to lead by example. Take your church into the neighborhoods. Meet people where they are. These citizens have never felt more hopeless—they need kindness and hope, and they need it now.
Here’s ideas of how you can help:
- Reach out to your congregation or members to assess their needs. Offer them your power and water. Let them come into your homes to shower, wash clothes, and eat.
- Organize neighborhood cookouts. Bring grills, food, and love to those still struggling.
- Deploy volunteers to laundromats—pay for their laundry, talk to them, find out what else they need.
- Take over fast-food drive-thrus and buy meals for families.
- Get creative. Show love. But most importantly, act now.
- This is when we are at our best as a community. We have a remarkable capacity for kindness and generosity, and we need every bit of it right now.
My team at Grice Connect has put together a resource guide that will be continuously updated. Please email [email protected] with details on how you can help. For many, cell data and power are limited, and having one central place for information is vital.
We need you, Statesboro and Bulloch. We need you to step up.
We are #BULLOCHSTRONG
With much love and gratitude,
DeWayne Grice
Founder/Publisher, Grice Connect
Bulloch County VOAD Chair
