Hope Village, the faith-based unified volunteer organized following the 2011 Souris River Flood, has donated $1,004,185 in volunteer labor toward the rebuild since its opening in April.
So far, the effort has hosted 172 teams for a total of 1,496 volunteers. These volunteers have put in 57,382 hours of various types of work related to flood relief.
According to IndependentSector.org, a volunteer hour in North Dakota is worth just under $17.50
“We’re grateful to all the volunteers who have helped us reach and surpass this amazing milestone,” said Pastor Paul Krueger, director of Hope Village. “We look forward to giving a gift like this and more to the people of Minot as rebuilding continues through the winter and beyond.”
Hope Village is a multi-denominational cooperative that gives out-of-town volunteer teams a place to stay as they work to rebuild homes that were devastated by Minot’s floods last year. The Village can currently house 160 volunteers on site and plans on moving forward with expansion to host 250 volunteers by spring 2013.
With its partners, Hope Village also coordinates job assignments during rebuild. Hope Village volunteers have cleared debris, power-washed homes, removed siding, performed gutting and mucking, put up sheetrock and worked on other reconstruction projects.
In addition, some Hope Village volunteers work on the campus, such as the cooking staff, which has accounted for 14,112 hours.
The 740th Missile Squadron from Minot Air Force base volunteered at Hope Village this week. Its 41 members contributed about $3,600 in donated labor to flood recovery in Minot
Oddly, the week that pushed Hope Village over the $1 million mark was the lowest it’s experienced since opening in April.
The week after schools opened, Hope Village hosted three teams consisting of a total of 23 volunteers. The volunteers worked 830 hours, equaling $14,525 in service.
Hope Village also coordinates local teams and this week hosted the 740th Missile Squadron, whose 41 members worked on Thursday on five different rebuild sites. Their contribution for just one day of service equals over $3,600 toward flood recovery in Minot.
“Every volunteer hour counts in someone’s life. It really does,” Krueger said.
Hope Village will continue to coordinate local and out-of-town teams during the winter and its Our Savior Lutheran Church campus will open in April after a planned “hibernation” after Oct. 1.
