Students Join BearAid to Pack Hurricane Relief Buckets

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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With six southeastern states still reeling from successive hurricanes Helene and Milton, Baylor University students joined together with the BearAid Disaster Relief Team to pack 100 “flood buckets” for communities impacted by widespread destruction.

When disasters strike communities across Texas, the nation and world, the BearAid Team in Baylor Missions, Service and Public Life serves communities throughout the relief and recovery process by participating in transformational activities of service that deepen a love for neighbors. On Wednesday, students formed a long line in front of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center to pack five-gallon buckets with items that help families with the overwhelming job of cleaning up after a disaster.

“Doing something tangible as small as sending relief kits can be a tremendous help to those who have lost everything.” - Rebecca A. Kennedy, assistant dean for Missions & Public Life and associate chaplain

“As a disaster/humanitarian response team within a higher education context, we are limited to what we can do on the ground because of time, distance and lack of experience in this area,” said Rebecca A. Kennedy, assistant dean for Missions & Public Life and associate chaplain at Baylor. “Doing something tangible as small as sending relief kits can be a tremendous help to those who have lost everything.”

Partnering with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), Baylor students packed kits that included laundry detergent, household cleaner, dish soap, air freshener, insect repellent, scrub brush, re-usable cleaning wipes, scouring pads, clothespins, clothesline, trash bags, dust masks, kitchen gloves and work gloves. 

Humanitarian relief agencies like UMCOR have standard kits they send to disaster-torn areas, and they count on volunteers to help keep UMCOR’s relief supply kit inventory ready to go when needed. Baylor Missions intentionally works with agencies who understand specific needs that allow for volunteer contributions to make a big impact.

“The last thing we want to do is send something that is wasteful or unnecessary,” Kennedy said.

Pray. Stay. Raise. Go.

Nearly 1,300 Baylor students – about 10% of Baylor’s total enrollment – are from the hardest-hit states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Knowing this, student volunteers offered hope and healing by assembling the relief kits, one of the four steps in Baylor’s thoughtful and responsible approach to disaster response.

“We stand strong together in times of crisis, supporting those in need while respecting first responders," Kennedy said. "Our approach to disaster response is to 'Pray. Stay. Raise. Go.'”

“We stand strong together in times of crisis, supporting those in need while respecting first responders," Kennedy said. "Our approach to disaster response is to 'Pray. Stay. Raise. Go.'”

• We pray for those impacted.
• We stay put and let those who are trained and qualified to first respond.
• We raise awareness and funds that support those on the front lines.
• We go when it is safe and stable for our volunteers to helpfully serve.

BearAid Disaster Relief plans to take a small team to help with cleanup in damaged communities in January, followed by a larger response team during Spring Break in 2025. Where they go, Kennedy said, depends on location stability and need. 

BearAid continues to serve

BearAid was established in fall 2020 to help meet new student needs that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the height of the pandemic subsided, the team continued to find ways to serve by partnering with other groups, like the McLennan County Community Emergency Response Team and Texans on Mission, formerly called Texas Baptist Men. These established initiatives offered BearAid knowledge and resources, and, in turn, BearAid provided them extra helping hands.

Over the years, BearAid student and staff team have grown to become a domestic disaster relief program with a dedicated semi-trailer, which allows them to aid recovery efforts and distribute supplies across the country. BearAid has responded to clean-up efforts in Mayfield, Kentucky, which was severely damaged in December 2021 by one of the longest-tracked tornadoes in history; LaPlace, Louisiana, that was devastated by Hurricane Ida in August 2021; and Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where the BearAid team delivered supplies and hot meals to a community ravaged by a tornado in March 2023.

Students who are interested in getting involved in the various stages of BearAid response program can fill out the interest form or join their group on Connect. To stay updated on upcoming opportunities to volunteer, follow Baylor Missions, Service & Public Life on social media. 

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.