Volunteering with All Hearts and Hands
Volunteering with All Hearts and Hands, Hurricane Dorian Relief Program, was collectively one of the best experiences of our lives. We learned so much about each other, ourselves and walked away with so much appreciation and gratitude for what we have. We met so many people from all over the world, including many from our own home state of Massachusetts. The week was incredible and we highly suggest anyone who has ever thought about volunteering to go do it!
Our main focus was debris removal, cleaning and prepping spaces so they could be rebuilt. There are a lot of different projects happening between school sites and homes of locals. All Hearts and Hands does a great job of vetting the projects by listening to the community and prioritizing projects as needed. Sometimes a project is a muck and gut and a sanitization process and sometimes a project is to build a new roof. Muck and gut and sanitization was our teams general mission on this trip. A muck and gut is the first step of the process. At this stage, we go into the home and remove everything from furniture, clothing & personal items and then remove the drywall & ceiling if necessary. Next is scrubbing and sanitation. The team goes through the house/school/etc and meticulously scrubs each piece of wood which is then sprayed with chemicals to kill off any mold caused by water damage. In hot humid conditions we worked with hardhats, work boots, respirators and gloves.
“My time volunteering with All Hands and Hearts was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. It was so humbling to be a part of an initiative where people from all around the world come together to assist in the cleaning up of Marsh Harbour. Talking to the locals about their lives before and after the storm and seeing the hope in their eyes as their community is restored, made my heart burst with love and appreciation for what the staff and volunteers at All Hands and Hearts is doing for them. I am so grateful to everyone that I met and connected with and cannot wait until my next volunteer trip.” – Georgia
Every day teams of volunteers set out to different areas around Marsh Harbour to help clean up and restore the surrounding areas. Some teams were sent to muck and gut houses by taking crown molding, drywall, ceiling tiles and nails out of the walls, leaving just the wood beams of the house left. Other teams were sent to houses to prepare for sanitizing by scrubbing the beams with metal brushes to perforate the wood so another team could come in and spray chemicals to kill bacteria. There were teams that worked on roofs and teams that were sent to help cook for the people in the community. Needless to say, every day brought new experiences and skills to learn.
“I didn’t know what to expect walking into the experience but I’m so overjoyed that I said yes to the opportunity. Coming onto the base All Hands and Hearts welcomed you with opened arms. I felt like I have been there forever. Seeing the Bahamas showed me to appreciate the small things. The island was destroyed, yet the spirit of the locals of Marsh Harbor were so beautiful and uplifting.” – Mekah
“I feel so much love and gratitude for the Marsh Harbor community. I often feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of disasters all over the world. Volunteering with All Hearts and Hands was a reminder of all that is possible when we come together.” – Latisha
After work, showers were a must. We had our choice of shower trailers or a makeshift shower using wooden beams and a tarp surrounding it (it really is not as bad as it sounds). Every night, one of the staff members would run a meeting. The meeting included updating the entire volunteer group on what went on in the sub groups for the day, welcoming new people, saying goodbye to those who were leaving and meeting notes which included volunteers organizing group events for after dinner (Danielle, LaTisha and Georgia attended a 15-minute guided meditation event hosted by Chloe, the Program Director) and reading out loud Big Ups, or compliments. After dinner was free time until lights out. Some of the nighttime events our team did was play quite a few intense card games, have a bonfire at the Cove, listen to music and connect with other volunteers.
“Being able to have an immersive volunteer experience was incredible. Nothing could have made me more inspired being on base with nearly 100 like-minded people with huge hearts and open minds. The work ethic and love the team has is unlike anything else I have ever experienced. I found a love in my heart that I didn’t even know was there for the locals of Marsh Harbor as well as the amazing staff and volunteers of All Hands and Hearts.” – Danielle
“Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts was a once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing to work with an incredibly diverse group of people who dropped everything in order to help others. It is not enough to be compassionate – you must act. My experience in Abaco was proof that a handful of people truly not only believe that, but live it.” – Brett
We found inspiring and hopeful locals with amazing stories and a passion for life. These people survived Hurricane Dorian and are so incredibly grateful that there are people who are there to help them work towards restoring the beautiful island that they call home. We were sad to leave as we were just getting used to the work and the environment. One collective thought as we left Marsh Harbour and the All Hands and Hearts base was, “What more can we do to help the community of Marsh Harbour?”. We feel so grateful to Dune that we were able to go and make a difference in Marsh Harbour and we look forward to our next volunteer trip with All Hands and Hearts. If you have any questions about our experiences volunteering please reach out to us.
Learn more about All Hands and Hearts, The Bahamas – Hurricane Dorian relief program.
