Disaster relief team from St. Margaret Mary always on call

By Kim Roberts
Clarion Herald

Volunteers with the St. Margaret Mary Men’s Club Disaster Response Team in Slidell have aided people affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters in the Gulf South since the 1990s, providing hot meals, supplies and emotional support.

The group deploys at a moment’s notice to serve 6,000 to 10,000 meals over the span of a weekend. The ministry brings more than food and supplies to these communities – they bring hope and a sense of normalcy to those in crisis, drawing on their own experiences with Hurricane Katrina.

“After Hurricane Katrina, we realized that we needed to start giving back,” said Bill Borchert, the men’s club spokesperson. “We put this group together because, as Catholics, we wanted people to know we’re not only sure in our faith, but also we’re going to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Borchert said a core group of 12 to 16 men serve on the response team. The group decided years ago to respond to disasters within a five-hour radius of Slidell – roughly from Tallahassee, Florida, to Houston, Texas.

Food plan in place

When disaster strikes, the group heads out on a Thursday and plans on serving thousands of meals (mostly chicken, pasta-laya and vegetables) over three days with the help of Knights of Columbus groups, students, parents and community members. The total number of volunteers could reach up to 40 people in some places, and the group has even worked side-by-side with the National Guard.

“Since 2018 we have served roughly 100,000 meals,” Borchert said. “Truly, we have become first responders. If a storm hit today, we would be gone tomorrow. We respond within the first three to four days of a disaster because that’s when people are the most lost and need a hot meal.”

Memory fuels mission

As Hurricane Katrina survivors, every member of this group remembers the trials and tribulations their families endured during and after the hurricane. With that in mind, Borchert said they bring hope to the communities they visit because of their own experiences with disaster.

“The people in these communities have not been through a situation like this,” he said. “When somebody comes up to you to get a meal and says, ‘I don’t know what to do’ and you’re standing there, you can say, ‘You know what? I survived Katrina, and it’s going to get better.’”

Borchert said that talking with those receiving disaster relief helps the team gain the community’s trust and provides them with a sense of hope. He said he knows that during times of disaster what people are looking for is normalcy, and the Disaster Relief Team strives to bring normalcy during that uncertain time. 

“You can see their hopelessness literally leave them at that point,” he said. “We are providing more than a meal. The meal is the nourishment; the discussion is the hope.”

A few years ago, Borchert said the response team realized it caught the attention of Archbishop Gregory Aymond when it had returned from a deployment in Luling, serving about 4,000 meals in addition to completing three deployments within a six-week period. The next week, a hurricane hit near Pensacola, and their pastor at the time called them and said, “The archbishop would like you guys to respond with water.” They answered the call.

“Let’s gear up again and head that way,” Borchert said. “Within 24 hours, we had all of the product and all of the things loaded and ready to go. And off we went.”

Self-sustaining

Whenever the Disaster Relief Team shows up at a site, they are self-sufficient, bringing their own fuel, generators, water, food, tables and supplies.

“We typically bring about 800 gallons of water and have a couple hundred gallons of diesel and gasoline so we can run generators and cooking equipment,” he said. “We also bring a camper that can sleep 15 to 16 people”

To volunteer or donate to the efforts of the St. Margaret Mary Disaster Relief team, email [email protected].

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