- Volunteers with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are helping hundreds in Madison and Perry recover from Helene.
- In one weekend, more than 700 volunteers serviced 304 homes in need.
- Watch the video to see how their debris removal work is leaving both a physical and emotional impact on neighbors in affected areas.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Selfless volunteers from across the Big bend and Beyond are coming together to help neighbors in need. I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Madison neighborhood, an area affected by Helene's brutal winds. I'm speaking with one faith-based group that has completed hundreds of debris cleanup orders here and has hundreds left to go.
A sea of yellow shirts has become a familiar sight in Madison and Perry.
Ben Smith, Stake President of Tallahassee Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - "We're grateful for this wonderful blessing to serve.."
Rocking those yellow shirts are the volunteers with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They've spent the past three weeks tackling heavy debris cleanup following Helene.
Smith - "In a sense, this is an infectious thing. You come once and you continually return."
Tallahassee Stake President Ben Smith tells me the proof is in the numbers.
Just last weekend, more than 700 volunteers from near and far serviced 304 homes in need.
Brooke Beazer, Volunteer - "It's really neat just to see the people and the relief when they have someone who shows up for them. Just having someone show up and say, 'we're here.'"
I joined Brooke Beazer and her crew on Sunday.
They spent hours making a dent in this disaster-ridden home in Madison.
Beazer - "Something that would've taken this homeowner months, maybe even years, we can take care of so quickly."
They tell me their work goes beyond chainsawing and tarping. They actually grow connections with these neighbors.
Smith - "Simply that listening word and that eye of observation can be a great comfort at this time as well."
Because a patched roof may go a long way for neighbors, but they tell me compassion goes further.
Beazer - "I think there's a lot of division that goes along in our communities and the nation at large and when you come down to just that level of being human with each other, it's a pretty cool experience just to watch them feel loved and to love them without all of that other stuff mattering."
This group will continue helping neighbors in Perry and Madison for about 3-6 weeks, depending on the need.
In Madison, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
