Among the many roles that volunteers can fill on a Red Cross mission, one of the most rewarding is that of the ERV Driver. These teams, which often consist of two individuals, drive Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles and deliver food from community feeding partners to points of distribution after a disaster so that displaced families can pick up a hot meal.
(Photo: Nate Russell)
This crucial role helps individuals and families feel a semblance of comfort and normalcy so that they have the energy needed to plan their next steps towards recovering from a disaster.
Often this role is filled by married couples, sometimes by strangers who become friends over the course of their mission, but very rarely do we see a team that consists of a parent and child. Jennie and Jezzalyn Ringler from central Minnesota are one such dynamic duo!
This is Jezzalyn’s first deployment as a Red Cross volunteer, “I don’t think she’s sick of me yet!” remarked her mother Jennie.
This is not Jennie’s first deployment, she’s been an ERV driver since about 2011. She loves working on a team “You get a groove going and you can keep it that way.”
Jezzalyn says her favorite part of being on an ERV Team is the people and the stories. “We’ve got regulars, we see them every day. We get to hear about their lives, about their recovery. Many of them are military veterans.”
The Ringlers’ ERV is parked at the Buncombe County Sports Park, at one of our Community Care Centers. Here, hurricane impacted individuals and families can do their laundry, take a shower, pick up supplies such as jugs of potable water, and of course pick up a hot meal. “We’ve served close to 100 meals today,” says Jezzalyn.
Visit here to find a Community Care Center and other resources.
Story by American Red Cross volunteer Nate Russell.
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 