Road service: Volunteer from your RV!

As our nation rises out of the ashes of wildfires and the recurring devastation of multiple hurricanes, Jarrett and I find ourselves feeling pretty inadequate to do something to help. What we want to do is hop over a few states and start rolling up our sleeves to assist with the cleanup and rebuilding that will need to happen before countless families can resume normalcy. Since we have these things called jobs here in Pennsylvania, that’s unfortunately not a possibility at the moment. So for now we are letting our checkbook do the heavy lifting while we brainstorm ways to incorporate RV volunteering into our future.

Last year we profiled a variety of ways RVers have found to make a difference in our world while they travel the country in their RVs. Since several of these volunteer opportunities encompass disaster relief, we wanted to remind our readers of the many ways the RVing community can help with their campers in tow.

Habitat for Humanity’s RV Care-A-Vanners

Where: Around the U.S. and Canada

Volunteer duties: A wide range of projects to suit a variety of skill/comfort levels including framing, roofing, interior and finish work, and renovations. RV Care-A-Vanners who receive disaster training can also be part of disaster rebuild teams.

MBI RV Associates

Where: All around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico at Youth With A Mission (YWAM) ministries and training centers

Volunteer duties: Skilled volunteers help build buildings, serve in medical clinics, or build websites and databases. However, most volunteers will help in the kitchen, with housekeeping and facility maintenance, or the various other logistics of operating a ministry.

RVICS

Where: Project sites are located all around the U.S. and Canada.

Volunteer duties: Volunteers are usually involved in remodeling and upgrading facilities at project locations. Other projects may include cleaning, sewing, office work, tutoring, and gardening.

Campers on mission

Where: Volunteers work and serve in most states of the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii.

Volunteer duties: Maintenance, new construction, housekeeping, food prep, etc., at camp or conference centers; building projects or renovations; fair, festival, resort, and port ministries; vacation Bible schools.

ROAM

Where: Project sites located from coast to coast and border to border in the U.S.

Volunteer duties: Construction, lawn maintenance, food service, cleaning, office work, auto repair, and many other things.

SOWERS

Where: Throughout the United States and Canada

Volunteer duties: Carpentry, auto repair, drywall, construction, painting, handyman, maintenance, electrical, plumbing, remodeling, farm work, kitchen help, landscaping, office work, cleaning, sewing, painting, crafts, tutoring, to name a few.

NOMADS

Where: Project sites include United Methodist churches, children’s homes, colleges, camps, and work with outreach ministries and disaster recovery projects across the U.S.

Volunteer duties: Disaster rebuilding, new construction, repair, clean up, landscaping, etc.

RV Corps

Where: At one of two sites–either Camp Lutherhaven near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, or at Shoshone Mountain Retreat in Wallace, Idaho.

Volunteer duties: Work might include new construction, remodeling, painting, landscaping, helping out in the kitchen, office, or maintenance areas of the camps, or any number of odd-jobs.

To learn more about using your RV lifestyle to help others, I’d encourage you to read what Dana has to say about her family’s experience doing disaster relief work with Samaritan’s Purse. She also shares more about various volunteer opportunities here.