Volunteers still the lifeblood of storm relief efforts

ALBANY — As Albany-area storm recovery continues to be a top priority for local residents, helping people put their lives back together has also been the focus of dozens of volunteer groups that have given their time following the Jan. 2 and Jan. 22 storms that ravaged the community.

Those seasoned volunteers got a nice boost Thursday when Outback Steakhouse served free lunches for everyone who has lent a hand to clean up property, feed and clothe residents, and begin the rebuilding process.

Outback employees from Albany and other parts of Georgia were at the Dougherty County Emergency Management Agency volunteer center on Oglethorpe Boulevard, cooking 500 pounds of chicken breasts and boxing up meals of chicken sandwiches, chips and fruit to be given to more than 1,000 volunteers.

“We’re here to help out,” said Outback employee Heather Aguilar, who came with her coworker, Jason Milburn, from Athens to help with the effort. “We’re here to be a part of the community. Whenever someone needs something, that’s what we like to do.”

Steve Johnson, proprietor of the Albany Outback, said the feeding event came about as he and other company leaders were looking for ways to help the community in a time of crisis.

“We were just looking for a way of giving back and helping out in the community through this devastating time,” said Johnson. “We got in contact with the disaster relief director. We were trying to do something last week, but he said everything was pretty much handled. But he said it would die out in a week or so, so he asked us to hold off until this point.”

Johnson also added that the lunch program would not have been possible were it not for the help of his Outback family, which has lent a helping hand.

“We are a big family,” he said. “When something goes wrong in one community and affects one Outback and the community of that Outback, the others are all willing to come in and help. It’s just a great family team here that we have.”

In addition to the continued support of volunteer groups like Samaritan’s Purse and Albany Recovery and Relief, yet another team of folks looking to help arrived Thursday.

More than 100 Georgia and Florida-based volunteers from Home Depot have arrived to bolster the efforts of Virginia Beach’s Operation Blessing International to help homeowners impacted by the recent storms, specifically the EF3 tornado that devastated southern and eastern Dougherty County nearly two weeks ago.

Since arriving last week, Operation Blessing has received hundreds of requests from homeowners needing help in the Albany area, and with the increased support of the Home Depot volunteers, the organization is looking to remove debris and help residents sort through their belongings.