About NECHAMA
Mission
NECHAMA (Hebrew for comfort) is a voluntary organization providing cleanup and recovery assistance to homes and communities affected by natural disaster. Guided by the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam – ‘repairing the world’ through acts of goodness, NECHAMA offers a helping hand in the spirit of goodwill and creating mutual respect among all people.
Return to topWhat We Do
When natural disasters occur, there are a number of volunteer organizations that work together in the recovery effort. While NECHAMA works closely with organizations such as the Federal Management Relief Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, and the Salvation Army, those organizations provide temporary housing, medical attention, administrative family assistance, and feeding. NECHAMA is counted upon for its well-stocked inventory of tools and other equipment and our ability to manage volunteers who are not affiliated with any organization and who, without proper supervision, can create additional problems for communities which have just been hit by a disaster. We organize, train, and equip our volunteers to prepare and respond to natural disasters. We assess storm damage; sandbag; chain saw and remove fallen trees; pump flood water from rooms and basements; remove contaminated building materials, appliances and personal effects; sanitize and dry surfaces to prevent mold growth; and otherwise prepare homes to be reoccupied by the owners so that fix-up and reconstruction may begin. Our volunteers turn utter chaos and destruction into an immediate sense that things are starting to get back to normal.
Return to topWhere We Go
Based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, many of NECHAMA's deployments have been in the midwest region comprising Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas. As needs have presented themselves, however, significant deployments have taken place beyond this region, especially to the Gulf Coast, as well as to Tennessee and New York.
Return to topWho We Help
Although NECHAMA is a Jewish-based volunteer organization, we offer help to all people regardless of religious affiliation. We do not ask “Who are you?” but rather “How can we help?” We work shoulder-to-shoulder with homeowners in urban and rural areas. Because we provide our help on a most critical needs basis, the people that we serve are generally the most vulnerable during natural disaster events: the elderly, the poor, single parents, and people with disabilities or other health problems. All of these groups generally find it difficult to cope both physically and mentally with beginning the clean-up from natural disasters. NECHAMA offers its services free of charge and does not solicit donations from the individuals helped.
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of NECHAMA's deployments!