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Police Recruits Join in Helping Local Victims of Hurricane Matthew

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Virginia Beach police officer recruits spoke with CBN News about what it's like to help Operation Blessing. Watch above.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- Members of the Virginia Beach Police Academy experienced firsthand what it means to serve a community when they helped Operation Blessing Tuesday in its efforts to assist residents affected by Hurricane Matthew.

"Here in Hampton Roads, we only experienced the remnants of Matthew, but it was still catastrophic for many of these families," Jody Gettys, Operation Blessing International's vice president of U.S. disaster relief and programs, told CBN News. "While they might not have four feet or eight feet of water, many of these homes have several inches to several feet of water."

How You Can Help:
Give to Operation Blessing

Operation Blessing is accepting volunteers daily Monday – Saturday at CBN in Virginia Beach, Virginia and at Covenant Love Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Orientation will begin at 8:30 a.m., and teams will be sent out from there.

Operation Blessing will provide everything you need -- work assignments, tools, and lunch. All we ask is that you provide your own transportation to and from the work sites. No reservations are needed for daily volunteers.

Residents NEEDING HELP: 757.274.8650
Virginia Beach Volunteer Line: 757.226.3407
Fayetteville, NC Volunteer Line: 757.374.0944
 

"If you could just imagine your own home with several feet of water in it, a lot of what you own is ruined, and a lot of these subdivisions are middle-to-low income without flood insurance -- people who really don't have the resources to help themselves," she continued.

The recruits helped by removing debris and tearing out sheet rock. Recruit Brock Parker told CBN News it was inspiring to be a part of Operation Blessing.

"We're all really looking forward to it and giving back and helping those that aren't able to help themselves," he told CBN News before heading out to serve. "I think we're all proud to say that we had something to do with cleaning up our community."

"It's a pleasure, sir... Being a police recruit and... eventually a police officer, it's our duty to help the community and help all of our citizens," recruit David Suda said. "We look forward to this moment." 

"To see them out here serving their community and joining arms with us as Operation Blessing, it means a lot to us, but what's most important is it's going to mean a lot to these residents," Gettys said.

Gettys told CBN News volunteers are still needed to assist Operation Blessing in cleaning up after Matthew.

"If there's one thing that we need right now in addition to your prayer and your financial support, it's volunteers," she explained. "We need manpower to come out and to help us help our own community."

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About The Author

Mark
Martin

Mark Martin currently serves as a reporter and anchor at CBN News, reporting on all kinds of issues, from military matters to alternative fuels. Mark has reported internationally in the Middle East. He traveled to Bahrain and covered stories on the aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mark also anchors CBN News Midday on the CBN Newschannel and fills in on the anchor desk for CBN News' Newswatch and The 700 Club. Prior to CBN News, Mark worked at KFSM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas. There he served as a weekend morning producer, before being promoted to general