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2.3.2 Faith‐Based Organizations

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Faith‐based organizations perform some of the same disaster functions as other non‐profits, but they are associated with religious organizations (Phillips and Jenkins 2010; Smith 1978). One of the most notable is the Salvation Army (Ross 1970). This religious movement was founded in England by William Booth in 1852 and was initially called the Hallelujah or Volunteer Army. The goal of the Salvation Army is to preach Christianity and care for the poor and needy. In 1879, this organization gained a foothold in the United States and established its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Today, the Salvation Army is divided into four geographic areas around the country. It has developed memorandums of understanding to assist local and state governments when disaster strikes. Its 24,550 employees and thousands of volunteers take care of immediate and long‐term needs of disaster victims. This includes the provision of physical, material, emotional or spiritual necessities. Like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army provides food, water and sheltering. These two organizations are different in other respects, however. The Salvation Army has religious motivations, whereas the Red Cross does not.

There are a number of other faith‐based groups that participate in response and recovery efforts. They include the Adventist Development & Relief Agency, Baptist Men, Catholic Relief Services, Latter‐Day Saint Charities, Lutheran World Relief, Samaritan’s Purse and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Other groups that help after disasters include Muslim and Asian faith‐based organizations. There are hundreds of similar groups around the world that respond to disasters in developing nations. These and further organizations care for the physical needs of disaster victims and provide spiritual and mental health counseling (Feldbush 2007; Massey and Sutton 2007; Sherman, Green and Brissett 2006).

Disaster Response and Recovery

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