GLASGOW, Ky. (BP) – Once it was safe to drive on their neighborhood streets, they were looking for a place to serve. A group of about a dozen disaster relief volunteers from across Kentucky were assigned to provide warm meals to people in a seven-county radius in south central Kentucky.
Jan White from Henderson, Ky., traveled about two hours to Calvary Baptist Church the disaster relief (DR) preparation site for the feeding operation in partnership with the Salvation Army.
“We have been asked to provide 400 lunches and 400 dinners for the Salvation Army to deliver,” White told Baptist Press.
“The food will go to people who are still without power,” she said.
Thousands of people within the seven-county radius were affected by Winter Storm Fern.
Nationwide, the storm left nearly 750,000 people without electricity as it stretched from Texas to New York City and as far south as Mississippi.
Officials say more than 55 people have been killed due to the storm. In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said the death toll is at 12.
White says she knows what it’s like to suffer. She believes DR work gives her an opportunity to help those who are in a hard spot.
“This is my way to serve people,” she said, “To make a difference.”
“I’ve been there,” said White, “this is a way to share a little love with someone who’s in a bad way.”
Besides that, “I like to cook, so I fit right in with this team,” she said with a laugh.
Meanwhile, David Wheeler from Bowling Green, about 30 minutes away, helps wash dishes from the meal the team just sent.
“We sent spaghetti, as you can see from my shirt,” he says with his yellow DR shirt dotted with spaghetti sauce.
It’s Wheeler’s first time to serve with a DR team. A member of Richpond Baptist Church, he attended trainings in 2025 and the winter weather delivered his first opportunity to join a team.
He said his pastor would talk about DR work and he would hear fellow church members talk about serving.
“I would see some of the guys at church with their yellow shirts,” he said, “and I just thought it would be a great opportunity to serve.”
He said in hindsight, “I wish I would have gotten involved when I was younger.”
Wheeler says a family and a full-time job kept him from pursuing the opportunity, but he’s been surprised how team leaders have worked with his schedule.
“It’s a lot more flexible than you think,” he said. “The team goes out of their way to accommodate someone’s schedule so they can serve.”
As Wheeler finishes washing dishes, White has begun to focus on the trays of pulled pork they will serve for dinner. Teammates begin to pull silver trays from the ovens to check the temperature of the BBQ that fills the room with a mouth-watering aroma.
“We want to make sure people get hot, balanced meals,” she said. “We’ll get them a protein, vegetable and fruit cup tonight.”
It’s a meal she’d be happy to serve to her own family and to White, her fellow DR workers might as well be family.
“I think this is one of the best organizations I’ve ever been involved in,” she said.
“You may never work with the same team again, but every time you go out it’s like you have eight or ten new family members.”
The crew plans to be on-site for up to a week serving two meals a day.
“People talk about DR work being the hands and feet of Jesus,” Wheeler said, “that what I hope to be a part of.”
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