MNA Sheds of Hope will soon be receiving two new trailers for use by teams setting up sheds during recovery operations. The trailers will be equipped with every tool needed by future volunteer teams setting up shed builds on disaster-displaced homeowner properties. Once road-ready, one of the trailers will be on standby at the MNA Charles H. Jones Family Disaster Relief Center in Rome GA and the other will be stationed at the MNA Disaster Response Dallas Depot. When Sheds of Hope are deployed the trailers will be sent to the recovery site to support the volunteer setup teams.

The trailer hooked to the van in the picture above and another just like it were purchased by North TX Presbytery for initial use during the Moore, OK tornado response (May 20, 2013). During that response 200 Sheds of Hope were built in Moore and the surrounding area and those trailers supported the work. Since that time, the trailer in the picture above has been rolled tens of thousands of miles to transport tools and equipment all over the US, from MI to FL, to CO, to the coast of NC. The fact is she is just a ‘wee-bit’ road weary, so wisely, it it time to retire her from full-time service and hand her over to a church for local and regional service. We give thanks to North TX Presbytery for lending her to us for the last seven years. Many families have been blessed through her service.

The new Sheds of Hope trailers are being custom built for us by Homesteader Trailers in New Tazewell TN. They are identical to the one pictured above, but a ‘wee-bit’ shorter, and can be transported by typical pickup trucks or larger SUVs. Homesteader has been a great ministry partner to MNA Disaster Response over the years, our manufacturer of choice for enclosed work trailers.

Once we receive the trailers MNA Disaster Response staff and volunteers will build-out the insides of each trailer to accommodate the tools and equipment needed to support at least two Sheds of Hope setup teams working in a particular community. When the build-outs are finished the trailers will be stocked with tools and equipment and placed into service.

We love working with high school and college students as well as young adults. They are desirous of serving with Sheds of Hope; however, they typically do not have the basic tools needed to setup a Shed of Hope. With a minimal equipping of tools and supervision even those without prior construction experience can make a tremendous difference while assisting a displaced family. This is the primary use for Sheds of Hope setup trailers – providing the tools and equipment to support setup teams.

Although the funds have been secured that allowed Sheds of Hope to purchase the new trailers, we are seeking additional funding to outfit each trailer with quality tools and equipment at a cost of $10,000 each. Please let us know if you would like to contribute to this need. You can make a contribution to this project by clicking here.

Also, maybe you would like to join the team that has committed to building out the interiors of these trailers. The work will take place at the Rome GA Warehouse and Training Center during July and August. Typically, we can arrange housing for your team while serving with us, just let us know. If you would like to volunteer on this project please contact Mike Kennamer, MNA Disaster Response Warehouse Manager, and begin a conversation by clicking here.