Oklahoma volunteers set up Bayou Vista HQ for hurricane relief efforts

The Rev. Steven Kelly knows a guy named Bill.
Bill is one of the members of a disaster relief network among Oklahoma’s Southern Baptist churches. They’ve set up shop in the parking lot at Kelly’s Bayou Vista Baptist Church with tents, cooking equipment and showers.
Bill, a former school superintendent and CEO, says he’s been promoted to taking care of the showers.
They’re part of relief efforts for those hurt by Hurricane Ida. And they’re hard at work.
The Oklahoma people arrived Aug. 31 and were in operation by Sunday.
Kelly said they’re preparing 4,500 meals a day. The Red Cross puts the meals into trucks and takes them to Terrebonne and Lafourche.
The youngest of the volunteers is 56, Kelly said. Yet some of them go out in the late-summer heat to take up carpet and pull down drywall ruined by Ida.
“These are mainly retired people who give their time and use their own equipment,” Kelly said.
They’re also fulfilling the traditional Christian missions of feeding the hungry and sharing with those in need.
“It’s always great to be part of something larger than yourself,” Kelly said. “That’s one of the good things about being part of a large network.”