Gautier United Methodist Church hosts Relief Volunteers, providing lodging, showers (much needed), meals (so hungry!), tools and expertise. Many other churches in the area are also providing this kind of volunteer support. We saw a tent city in Ocean Spring, MS at the United Methodist Church and in Biloxi the Lutherans had set up a large camp for their relief workers. Anheiser-Busch out of Georgia provides cases of drinking water for the volunteers, the local Community College lets volunteers shower there, the local Coffee Shop lets volunteers use their wireless connection all night long.

There is a table full of bug spray, deodorant, lotion, games, work boots, hand cleaner, blankets, etc. donated for the volunteers. The food was great and it was all you could eat...or until it ran out. Usually there was an offering of a fine dessert that someone from the church had brought in. We ate well...and needed to! I ate 3 times as much as I do at home and did not gain weight!

The accomodations were an ingenious invention of PVC pipe put together and shower curtain dividers. There were two days when there was over 60 volunteers while we were there. Marcia told us that sometimes there is over 100. Overflow is in the church's Sunday School classrooms and, really, just about anywhere one can squeeze a sleeping bag.

After working all day our older members relaxed and read and visited but for the younger crew there was a pool table, foos ball, basketball & movies. On the first day when we were all so hot and wiped out, five of our youth went out and played soccer! What would we do without their boundless energy?!