How to Help through Volunteering or Donating
We greatly appreciate everyone who wants to volunteer and/or donate to assist people impacted by disasters. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, we highly recommend that you volunteer with or donate to one of our trusted member organizations. Virginia VOAD member organizations are highly experienced in humanitarian services and work hand-in-hand with emergency managers coordinating response efforts to ensure that everyone impacted receives equitable help. Being a volunteer for a VOAD member will mean that you are trained and ready to work with a skilled and experienced response team.
Please see this list of VOAD members and direct links to their volunteer and/or donations pages.
Adventist Community Services (ACS) — Donate | Volunteer
Adventist Community Services (ACS) volunteers provide disaster response services through the ACS Disaster Response Ministry to assist individuals, families, and communities affected by natural and man-made disasters and unforeseen tragedies. ACS has developed an expertise in Donations Management through Multi Agency Warehouses, Collection, and Distribution Centers. During other responses, ACS has assisted as requested by feeding survivors and first responders, chainsaw teams, debris cleanup and mucking out, temporary roofing, spontaneous volunteer reception centers, and in home repair as part of long-term recovery.
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) of Virginia — How to Join
AARL promotes and advances the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio. HAM radio operators can be a crucial link between emergency responders and people impacted by disasters when traditional communication networks are damaged or unavailable.
American Red Cross — Donate | Volunteer
From small house fires to multi-state natural disasters, the American Red Cross goes wherever we’re needed, so people can have clean water, safe shelter and hot meals when they need them most.
Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) (Impact Missions) — Donate | Volunteer
BGAV Impact Missions serve the public impacted by disasters by providing food, cleanup and chainsaw teams, flood buckets, repairing and rebuilding homes, and offering spiritual support.
Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia (CCEVA) — Donate | Volunteer
CCEVA focuses on five main areas: Youth & Family Services, Financial and Housing Counseling (including financial assistance), Mental Health Counseling, Health and Community Services and Senior Services. During disasters, they specialize in disaster case management and assisting people in long-term recovery.
Christian Appalachian Project — Donate | Volunteer
Christian Appalachian Project’s Disaster Relief Program provides immediate assistance to Appalachia areas suffering from floods, winter storms, tornadoes, and other major catastrophes. Our relief is twofold: We provide food, water, and emergency supplies through our Gifts in Kind program, and our volunteers and staff aid with home and property cleanup and repair in the wake of major disasters.
Green Cross Academy of Traumatology — Donate | Volunteer
Green Cross Academy of Traumatology (GCAT) is an international, humanitarian assistance organization, non-profit corporation comprised of trained traumatologists and compassion fatigue service providers. Most of our members are licensed mental health professionals–all are oriented to helping people in crisis following traumatic events.
Christ in Action — Donate | Volunteer
CIA has been responding to disasters since 1998. Their equipment has grown to include cooking equipment, shower and bathroom facilities, skid steers, excavators, chainsaws, trucks, trailers and much more allowing them to deploy to assist individual families and municipalities in times of disaster.
Federation of Virginia Food Banks — Donate | Volunteer at Member Food Banks
Facilitating statewide collaboration among Virginia’s food banks, partners and neighbors to improve nutrition security and empower strong, healthy communities.
Gleaning for the World — Donate | Volunteer
Whenever disaster strikes, Gleaning for the World responds by delivering help and hope to individuals and families who are in the midst of facing one of the most traumatic and life-changing events of their lives. Over the last two decades, Gleaning has responded to natural and man-made disasters around the world by collecting and distributing relief supplies, including food, water, blankets, medical supplies, toys, pet supplies, and much more.
We work to get donated goods to where they are most needed. We partner with socially responsible companies to keep new products from ending up in landfills, and we give those goods a new home in communities where they can do the most good.
HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response (HOPE AACR) — Donate | Volunteer
HOPE AACR gives Comfort in Times of Crisis by bringing emotional support with our specially-trained canine and handler teams.
Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) — Donate | Volunteer
ITDRC provides connectivity, volunteer support, and technology services to communities and relief organizations impacted by disasters.
International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) — Donate | Volunteer
IOCC, in the spirit of Christ’s love, offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond.
Islamic Relief USA — Donate | Volunteer
IRUSA’s Disaster Management Team (DMT) is dedicated to helping communities that have been adversely affected by disaster not only around the world, but here at home. When disaster strikes, DMT responds quickly to get vital resources to survivors as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Louisa Community Animal Response Team (Louisa CART) — Donate | Volunteer
Louisa CART is a volunteer organization dedicated to emergency preparedness, response and management specifically focused on preparedness and response for pets and their owners in Louisa County, Virginia. The Louisa CART team has become one of the premier CART teams in Virginia, earning recognition as a State Animal Response Team (SART), and our capabilities continue to expand.
Lutheran Disaster Response — Donate | Volunteer
Lutheran Disaster Response awards grants to partners, giving them the flexibility to address the needs of impacted communities. It also provides technical assistance, training opportunities and accompaniment through the relief and recovery stages. Additionally, Lutheran Disaster Response works with communities in disaster preparedness, mitigation and resilience.
Mennonite Disaster Service — Donate | Volunteer
Mennonite Disaster Service recruits, organizes and empowers volunteers to repair and rebuild the homes of those impacted by disasters in the United States and Canada.
Mercy Chefs — Donate | Volunteer
Mercy Chefs is a faith-based, non-profit disaster and humanitarian relief organization. We exist to provide professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals to victims, volunteers and first responders in natural disasters and emergencies, and we partner with existing like-minded organizations to further their mission by providing food service in underserved communities across the country and around the globe.
Missionary Disaster Response — Donate | Volunteer
By mobilizing resources, expertise, and the power of faith, we aim to provide immediate relief, support recovery efforts, and rebuild communities with resilience and hope. Our global network of volunteers and partners works tirelessly to offer aid, comfort, and sustainable solutions to those facing the devastating impacts of disasters.
Operation BBQ Relief — Donate | Volunteer
To date, Operation BBQ Relief has provided over 11 million meals throughout the United States and internationally following natural disasters, COVID-19 response, and through The Always Serving Project, benefiting the homeless, first responders, veterans and members of the military.
Operation Blessing — Donate | Volunteer
Operation Blessing partners, staff, and disaster relief volunteers are the first on the ground, partnering with emergency management and local churches to bring food, clean water, medicine and other vital supplies to meet the immediate needs of those suffering.
Park Valley Church Disaster Relief Team — Donate | Volunteer
Park Valley Church established a Disaster Relief Team as a ministry that goes into areas that have been devastated by natural and/or man-made disasters to spread hope where it appears to be hopeless. The Park Valley Church Disaster Relief Team (PVC-DRT) has a long history dating back to 2013 when the team responded to Moore Oklahoma for a tornado. Since then, the team has responded to several tornados, floods, and hurricanes.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance — Donate | Volunteer
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. They focus on the long-term recovery of disaster impacted communities, provide training and disaster preparedness for presbyteries and synods, work collaboratively with church partners, and connect with key response organizations such as NVOAD, the Red Cross, the World Food Program, FEMA, and others.
The Salvation Army — Donate | Volunteer
We mobilize to provide people with food, water, and emergency shelter. We provide mobile showers, bottled water, and a clean blanket to anyone in need. We turn our properties into sites of refuge when needed. And we deliver emotional and spiritual care that first responders and survivors’ desire.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Disaster Services Corporation — Donate | Volunteer
The mission of the Disaster Services Corporation is to model the charism of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul by providing quality programs and services to families and communities impacted by natural and manmade disasters across this great nation. They specialize in disaster case management, disaster recovery, and their House-in-a-Box program.
Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief (SBCV) of Virginia — Donate | Volunteer
We provide relief and recovery through services like mass feeding, debris removal, and rebuilding.
Team Rubicon — Donate | Volunteer
TR is a veteran-led disaster response organization that serves in a variety of ways including: incident management, site surveys, disaster mapping and work order management, debris management, hazard mitigation, home repair, volunteer management, emergency medicine, demolition, and exercise services. We put extra emphasis on disaster-affected communities that garner the least amount of attention from the media or federal aid but often need the most help.
Tzu Chi USA — Donate | Volunteer
Tzu Chi volunteers are gathered from around the world providing disaster relief to help those in need in the United States and internationally.
United Methodist Church Disaster Response, Virginia Conference — Donate | Volunteer
Key activities are supplying survivors with food, water, shelter and help with mucking out and cleaning up. UMCOR offers emergency financial assistance in the aftermath of a disaster to support local relief work. For disasters that require long-term strategies, UMCOR provides conferences with expertise, grants and training for more extensive programming, such as disaster case management, materials and construction management, volunteer management and psychosocial support for survivors.
United Way of Southwest Virginia — Donate | Volunteer
United Way of Southwest Virginia, with help from donors, nonprofits, and other community partners, has an established system for processing large volumes of online gifts and our network of volunteers and partners allow us to rapidly scale and resource the community in times of need.
Virginia Community Response Network (VCRN) — Donate | Volunteer
VCRN volunteers are licensed EMDR therapists who offer pro bono services when disaster events occur in Virginia that have the capacity to overwhelm a community.
Virginia Council of Churches — Donate
The Virginia Council of Churches is the oldest ecumenical body in the Commonwealth, representing thirty-eight governing bodies of eighteen Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant denominations. Through a variety of programs, the Virginia Council of Churches works with churches and ecumenical organizations around the state to reach out to undeserved segments of society.
Volunteer Hampton Roads — Donate | Volunteer
VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads is the only comprehensive volunteer center in Hampton Roads, serving all localities in the region. We work with our nonprofit members to build their capacity and achieve their missions by providing training, facilitating volunteerism, coordinating large-scale projects, or by complimenting their work through our programs and outreach.
World Renew — Donate | Volunteer
We come together to help communities rebuild after disasters like hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. Over the last 52 years, World Renew DRS has responded to the needs of 469,797 disaster-affected families and repaired over 9,709 damaged homes.