Don Owen moves supplies in God’s Warehouse, a ministry of Nolachucky Baptist Association, based in Morristown. B&R file photo.
ELIZABETHTON — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board has established two warehouses in Elizabethton to help residents who lost their homes to Hurricane Helene as part of Arise and Build, the repair and new build arm of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief.
Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of TBMB, established an Arise and Build task force in November the help homeowners and churches that were dramatically affected by the hurricane. More than 1,200 homes and 11 Tennessee Baptist churches were destroyed or significantly damaged.
The warehouses are being operated in conjunction with God’s Warehouse, a ministry of Nolachucky Baptist Association in Morristown that is led by Don Owen, the association’s disaster relief director.
David Baines, a volunteer from Elizabethton, is overseeing the first warehouse which is fully operational. Baines noted the warehouse already has provided building materials to repair teams and he is excited about the efforts to help residents of northeast Tennessee repair their homes.
“It has been amazing to see the materials and items that have been given to the warehouse. There are more givers than takers,” he said.
Owen said they are working closely with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief’s incident command center at Grace Baptist Church in Elizabethton to coordinate getting supplies to residents in northeast Tennessee who were affected by the hurricane.
Owen said the new warehouses will get needed materials to the area in a more timely and cost-saving manner.
“We are excited about this partnership as it cuts off a three-hour round trip for people in the affected areas. They can now pick up needed supplies in Elizabethton rather than having to travel to Morristown,” he noted.
Garry Maddox, mobilization specialist for Arise and Build and TBDR, said one warehouse is primarily for construction supplies and the other is for furniture.
“We have been blessed by companies donating material or giving us access to special pricing on purchases. Our rebuilding teams are able to access these items as they work to get people back into their homes,” Maddox said.
The warehouse materials are available only for those that Tennessee Baptist DR has identified as people with needs, Maddox said.
Kaye Thomas, who along with her husband John, leads the Incident Command center, said: “We are vetting the people who receive the materials to make sure they are flood victims.” Tennessee Baptist volunteers can call Thomas at 615-969-0410. For more information about Arise and Build, contact Maddox at 615-210-3215. B&R
