OLD HICKORY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Volunteer State is living up to its name and coming together to help those impacted by the winter storm.
That hotline number is 844-965-1386.
After that story aired, our newsroom received many calls with folks wanting to know that number.
I wanted to give folks a better understanding of the crews that are doing the work, and why these folks decided to volunteer.
In the Echo Valley neighborhood of Old Hickory, volunteers with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief worked to clear massive tree limbs and debris left behind by the ice storm.
Amy Brashear's backyard was one of the many properties in the neighborhood that got hit pretty hard by Mother Nature.
"Tree limbs were falling all throughout the neighborhood the size of trees," Brashear said.
The cleanup looked overwhelming for homeowners tackling the work alone.
"Just even whittling away at it after picking up the branches, that would take a month of weekends," Brashear said.
That changed when volunteers knocked on her door.
"A lady in a yellow jacket told me what they were doing," Brashear said.
The volunteers wearing yellow jackets and hats are with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, one of several organizations working with the Crisis Cleanup hotline.
The service connects residents who need help with vetted volunteer groups willing to provide free assistance.
"We're three churches here working together as one team from Chattanooga," said volunteer Richmond Blackwell.
Blackwell and his crew cleaned multiple yards over the weekend, several before noon on Sunday alone.
"I think we got four yesterday and this is our third one today," Blackwell said.
When asked why he spends his days off helping strangers, Blackwell explained his motivation.
"We've been blessed and so we just want to give back and its an opportunity to share the love of Christ," Blackwell said.
Beyond offering help now, Blackwell offers a piece of advice for the coming months: make sure to keep an eye out for branches that haven’t fallen yet, as they still could come down and injure you.
The volunteers also helped Dennis Brandt, whose neighbor recommended the hotline service.
"My neighbor said, you got to call this 844, number. And I said, Okay, it's Southern Baptist Ministries is doing it, and I don't think it's gonna cost anything," Brandt said.
Without the volunteer help, Brandt faced expensive tree removal costs.
"The first guy was $4,000, the second guy was $3300," Brandt said.
The free service might sound too good to be true, but volunteers said they expect nothing in return.
"We don't take anything from it. We don't want any donations. We just want to go and bless people the way that we've been blessed," Blackwell said.
Click here for more information about the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief.
The Crisis Cleanup hotline is looking for more groups to volunteer to help out, to do that organizations need to register with VOAD, or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, click here to find out more.
This story was reported on-air by Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
During a week when it seems that frustration is the prevailing sentiment felt across middle Tennessee amid ongoing power outages, Forrest Sanders brings us a story of love, faithfulness and a remarkable family... plus, a little humor on the side. Enjoy!
- Carrie Sharp
