Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a partner in the New York City Unmet Needs Roundtable which serves those recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Click the image to learn more about the Roundtable and also read the report below from the August/September issue of fellowship! magazine (download pdf version).

With coalition, Metro Baptist and CBF help announce grants of $7 million to meet unmet needs from Sandy

By Jeff Huett

Nearly nine months after Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern United States, Metro Baptist Church in Manhattan and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship continue to offer assistance to city residents through an organization in place to meet unmet needs.

Metro Baptist Church pastor Alan Sherouse represented CBF at a July 2 press event in New York City to help announce about $7 million in grant funding to be administered by the New York Disaster Interfaith Services’ (NYDIS) Unmet Needs Roundtable for those recovering from the storm. Metro Baptist and CBF pledged a combined $125,000 to the effort and were represented at the event alongside social service and disaster relief agencies such as The American Red Cross, United Way, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Home Depot and Islamic Relief.

In the days after Hurricane Sandy hit, Sherouse said Metro Baptist members helped with feeding stations and distributed boxes of supplies. The church also served as a respite center for volunteers serving six-day shifts in the area. He was pleased that both Metro Baptist and CBF were involved in the relief efforts.

“We wish we could give more, but we’re giving what we can and doing it in a collaborative, interfaith and sustainable way,” Sherouse said. “It was great to see the CBF logo next to some of the largest agencies doing this work.”

The Roundtable is convened and managed by NYDIS in collaboration with the Human Services Council of New York and case management agencies–including both those within the federal Disaster Case Management program and other community-based case management providers. It helps impacted individuals or households after all other resources have been exhausted with needs such as rent, basic utilities, relocation, transportation and debt management.

CBF’s U.S. Disaster Relief Coordinator Tommy Deal said the partnership with the Roundtable was a perfect fit.

“The Roundtable’s goals matched up with who we are–meeting unmet needs,” Deal said. “It was looking to raise money to give grants to families who were trying to rebuild but were coming up short.”

Sherouse will continue to review updates, along with Deal, as NYDIS and the Roundtable receive applications and award grants. As a NYDIS member, Sherouse will attend the groups’ regular meetings.