Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Inc.

The Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort unofficially began operations in 1990. Since then, the organization has distributed more than $187 million in emergency food and supplies in response to 585 disasters in 47 states. We operate in the United States and US Territories.  In 1994, the non-profit operations center located in Nashville, Tennessee was incorporated, and a large warehouse facility was purchased. Growth has been remarkable. For instance, in 1996 we shipped $1.1 million in aid. Major disasters in 1999 caused us to respond with more than $4.5 million in supplies. Our busiest year was after Hurricane Katrina hit, when we provided $16,096,517.13 of supplies in 2005 to the Gulf Coast, and continued helping that area by sending $14,800,207.71 in 2006. In 2018 after back to back hurricanes, tornadoes, and a volcano erupted in Hawaii, we helped 21 states, with supplies with a retail value of $9,116,771.78.  Last year in 2021 we when provided $7,173,551.46 of supplies to 13 different states. 

Who Gets Help? - Strict guidelines apply to the different types of disaster - Associate Directors that live in different regions of the country immediately survey the situation - and assist in setting up distribution centers in disaster areas - they follow with up to see that all areas are covered.  The supplies sent are for anyone at the disaster location affected by the disaster, and they are to receive assistance regardless of race, color, or creed or religion. More than 85% of every donated dollar goes directly to disaster victims. Expenses such as salaries, utilities, supplies, maintenance, depreciation, truck rentals, etc. amount to 15% or less each year. We are proud of this remarkable record and acknowledge that without our many volunteers this could not be possible. 

We stay ready for the next disaster to hit, by purchasing, pre-packing and staging semi-trailers of supplies ready to be loaded on a semi-trailer at a moments notice. We can have trailer loaded, and on the road traveling to a major disaster area usually within an hour and a half. We don't need to wait for money to come to us for a specific disaster or specific location before we go into action, we stay ready at all times, and have between 20 and 30 semi-trailers full of supplies in our warehouse with over 87,000 sq ft of space.