Brethren Disaster Ministries releases 2009 statistics.

Statistics released by Brethren Disaster Ministries, Children’s Disaster Services, and the Material Resources program reveal the extent of Church of the Brethren disaster relief work in 2009.

Working at five rebuilding sites in Louisiana and Indiana, 1,505 volunteers with Brethren Disaster Ministries served 108 families and put in a total of 11,164 workdays--an estimated $1,808,568 worth of volunteer labor. At six Children’s Disaster Services project sites--including a response to an airplane crash in New York--39 volunteers cared for 195 children. "We are grateful that fewer children were impacted by disasters last year," said the report. In addition, Children’s Disaster Services held nine workshops training 201 volunteers.

Material Resources, which warehouses and ships disaster relief materials out of facilities at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., also released stats for 2009: 97 shipments of kits, quilts, and blankets representing a total 1,451,190 pounds of materials valued at $7,136,344.72; 3,364 shipments of medical goods representing a total of 546,571 pounds of materials valued at $4,602,273.44.

Source: 4/22/2010 Newsline