Liberty sends two more hurricane relief teams to Florida, North Carolina over Winter Break

When Liberty University business student junior Grace Danner first signed up for LU Serve Now’s trip to Tampa, Fla., last week to provide disaster relief from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, she had no idea the impact her team would have on the community and the impact that community would have on her.

Her 12-member team was one of two hurricane relief teams dispatched from Liberty Jan. 5–11, the last week of Winter Break before classes began on Jan. 13. Another 11-member team joined volunteers from Operation Blessing in Asheville, N.C.

The Tampa team partnered with Samaritan’s Purse and cleaned debris and fallen trees from homes, completed mudouts, tarped roofs, and more. The team also took time to build relationships with homeowners and offer encouragement during this time of major loss.

At one site, Danner was able to speak with a homeowner while she was sorting through the possessions of her father, who had died three years before, and established a relationship.

“I remember leaving the worksite and reflecting with the Lord and being encouraged and reminded of the value of meeting people exactly where they are,” she said, “not coming into conversations with expectations, but (knowing) what the Lord could do in the ordinary moments.”

When they were done at each site, Liberty’s team presented homeowners with a Bible and prayed with them. When Danner presented the Bible to that homeowner, she was able to offer joy into what was otherwise a very difficult situation.

“It wasn’t until the very end of the project that I got to speak the truth of Christ into her circumstances and situation,” she said. “It was so beautiful because I had spent that time really getting to know her just as a person. … That was a really special moment, and then I got to pray over her and watch her experience release and breakthrough.”

In Asheville, the team assisted local business owners in the River Arts District, removing debris, doing mudouts, and moving damaged furniture from a nearby warehouse. Before working with the business owners, students took prayer walks in the area to ask God for healing.

For interdisciplinary studies senior Christian Kaplan, who had seen the devastation firsthand after being in the area when Hurricane Helene hit last September, the trip marked an opportunity to give back to the hurting community.

“To serve is such a blessing. I have such a heart for serving,” said Kaplan, who was on his fifth trip with LU Serve Now. “I love serving people outside of Liberty because it’s not something that people think about doing every day. I really enjoy going on these trips because it’s very spiritually awakening for me, seeing all the damage and being able to talk to the homeowners and business owners and helping them see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s really cool to see them see that light and be on a track where they can get their life back together.”

While in Asheville, students met many people in their hotel who had been displaced when their homes were flooded. Hospitality management senior Maya Bowen said she met one woman who had been staying in the hotel with her 4-year-old son for over three months since the floods from Hurricane Helene engulfed the city. Bowen and another team member were able to witness to her and provide encouragement in this difficult season.

“Our ability to meet their needs is a gift,” she said of serving the Asheville area. “Having the fiscal ability to go, the time to go, and the financial support to be able to have a willing heart and be sent is such an opportunity. I think there is such an impact for the Kingdom when we are able to be the hands and feet of the Lord in meeting material needs because these people are without so much and are lacking hope but also lacking a place to live and warm meals.”

The Winter Break trips continued Liberty’s emphasis on caring for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Hurricane Milton. Last semester, Liberty sent a total of five teams to North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia in response to these disasters. Liberty also mobilized a team to Texas in response to Hurricane Beryl in August.

“It’s such a blessing that Liberty provides resources for the Serve Now program to afford for students to go on these trips,” said LU Serve Senior Director Chad Nelson, who was a team lead on the trip to Tampa. “Students are the greatest resource that this university has. It’s a blessing for the university to allow this ‘human resource’ to go be a blessing to others by carrying the Gospel and bringing spiritual truth to other people and serving them in very physical and practical ways.”

Liberty has a longstanding reputation for community service, consistently partnering with humanitarian aid organizations during times of need. Past projects include assisting Ukrainian refugees in Romania, helping those affected by flooding in Kentucky, aiding those affected by the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, in 2023, and cleaning up debris left behind by the devastating Hurricane Idalia that struck North Florida in 2023.

“One thing I love about LU Serve Now’s heart for service is to start with action — before words,” Danner said. “Before giving a big Gospel presentation, they encourage us to show Christ through our actions and through the way we love people. That was something that stuck with me going into this trip.”

The LU Serve Now initiative provides multiple opportunities for students to respond to natural disasters alongside partner organizations that embrace and support Liberty’s mission and purpose. Students interested in participating are encouraged to apply online.