Campus Joins BearAid to Pack Flood Relief Kits
Baylor Missions, Service & Public Life partners with UMCOR to aid Kerr County families
Students, faculty and staff lined up in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center to pack disaster relief kits. (Matthew Minard/Baylor University)
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Baylor University students, faculty and staff – and even incoming Baylor freshmen attending Line Camp – joined Baylor Missions, Service and Public Life and the BearAid Disaster Relief Team to begin an effort to pack 200 flood relief buckets for use in responding to the tragic Texas floods, particularly families in Kerr County.
“Over the past few days, messages have been pouring in from Baylor alumni, employees, parents and students with offers to help the flood victims in Kerr County,” said Rev. Rebecca A. Kennedy, assistant dean of spiritual life and associate chaplain at Baylor. “Baylor Missions has been busy working on providing the Baylor family ways to support our neighbors. We are fortunate to have compassionate people who want to use their resources to help those in crisis. This disaster, especially, has hit our Baylor community hard as many have connections to the Hill Country communities that have suffered so much. It's no wonder the Baylor family has rallied to come to their aid.”
Gathering inside the Bobo Spiritual Life Center and opening in prayer, volunteers began by packing 50 relief kits on Wednesday and will pack another 50 on Thursday. A second round of kit packing – open to all students, faculty and staff – will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 15. On Thursday, July 17, Baylor Spiritual Life will hold a prayer service at noon in Elliston Chapel open to the Baylor family to join in prayer for all who have been affected by the tragic floods.
For incoming Baylor freshmen participating in a Baylor Missions event, they experienced firsthand what is at the heart of Baylor – its mission – “to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.”
“We want them to know not only what Baylor is about but for them to understand this is now their responsibility as a Baylor student – to carry on the legacy of service to our neighbors,” Kennedy said.
The packing of disaster relief kits is done in partnership with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). Next Friday, BearAid will deliver the completed kits directly to UMCOR’s facility in Kerrville to be distributed to Kerr County families. Each kit contains laundry detergent, household cleaner, dish soap, air freshener, insect repellent, scrub brush, reusable cleaning wipes, scouring pads, clothespins, clothesline, trash bags, dust masks, kitchen gloves and work gloves. The relief kits provide a tangible source of relief to families as they begin cleaning up flood-damaged homes. After disasters, local stores can quickly run out of necessary supplies.
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. It’s part of Baylor’s thoughtful and responsible approach to disaster response: “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 and the Department of Missions, Service & Public Life are currently searching for a date and time to bring a group to assist with providing meals to those affected by the floods. Updates will be posted on the Missions website.
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 Instagram and Facebook.
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