{"id":17146,"date":"2026-03-10T13:51:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/when-disaster-struck-volunteers-of-america-found\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:03:04","slug":"when-disaster-struck-volunteers-of-america-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/when-disaster-struck-volunteers-of-america-found\/","title":{"rendered":"When Disaster Struck, Volunteers of America Found an Innovative Way to Help"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The reference desk staff at Baton Rouge, Louisiana\u2019s public libraries pride themselves on answering their patrons\u2019 questions. The best recipe for jambalaya. The history of zydeco. The number of times the LSU Tigers football team has been to the Cotton Bowl (that would be five). Even in this age of Google and Siri, there\u2019s no shortage of queries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in the information business,\u201d says Patricia Husband, assistant branch library director.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the catastrophic flooding of 2016. Suddenly the questions became more urgent. People wanting to know how to contact FEMA for assistance. Where to get help paying utility bills. Even where to find a homeless shelter. Some visitors seemed to need much more than what the library\u2019s reference sources could give them. They needed someone who could spend more time with them, counsel them on whom to call for assistance and what documents and information they\u2019d need.<\/p>\n<p>The library turned to <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/post\/asperger-s-syndrome-how-one-young-man-developed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Volunteers of America<\/a> Greater Baton Rouge (VOAGBR), a faith-based nonprofit it had worked with in the past.<\/p>\n<p>At VOAGBR, they\u2019re all about addressing the very concerns people were asking about\u2014assistance with affordable housing, a drop-in center for the homeless, therapists who work with families in crisis, programs for seniors and veterans. They were committed to helping those whom Jesus called \u201cthe least of these.\u201d A 90-day pilot program was launched in the spring of 2017. Three evenings a week, VOAGBR would send caseworkers to three library branches.<\/p>\n<p>Melissa Peeler, a benefits specialist at VOAGBR, taped her sign\u2014with its red, white and blue Volunteers of America logo\u2014up in the reference section. But other than a disheveled man in the corner, no one made eye contact all evening. She started to wonder if the library was the best place to find the people VOAGBR serves.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the man came over to Melissa and asked her what she was doing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here to talk to folks who need social service help,\u201d she said. \u201cIs there something I can do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you have <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/post\/americas-angels-a-home-for-the-homeless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">housing assistance<\/a>?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefinitely,\u201d Melissa said. She explained how VOAGBR helps people find affordable housing. \u201cWe know a lot of landlords,\u201d she told him. \u201cBut you need to be able to pay the first and last month\u2019s rent and have proof of income.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man\u2019s shoulders sagged. \u201cI don\u2019t have any of that,\u201d he said. \u201cI just need a place to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Melissa gave him a list of shelters. \u201cVOAGBR runs the Drop-in Center near this shelter,\u201d she said, pointing to an address. \u201cThere are showers. And phones and computers you can use. You can even get a photo ID.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally? Never knew that,\u201d the man said. \u201cThanks! I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Word got out. People began to take notice of Melissa and come to her with questions that the research librarians weren\u2019t generally equipped to handle. Like how to find a job or get donated school uniforms and supplies. \u201cThank you!\u201d one woman said. \u201cBefore I talked to you, I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most people had never heard of VOAGBR. But one day, a man came in and, seeing Melissa\u2019s sign, made a beeline for her. \u201cHey, I\u2019m with you guys,\u201d the man said, proudly pulling out an ID with the VOAGBR logo he\u2019d gotten at the Drop-in Center. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I would have done without you!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pilot program was renewed for an entire year. In its first six months at the library branches, VOAGBR helped 248 people it might not have otherwise reached. Melissa talks about programs like Ask a Lawyer, where an attorney gives free legal advice once a month. Patrons now count on her being there.<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of books in Baton Rouge\u2019s libraries\u2014full of information, guidance, wisdom and entertainment\u2014but the help that VOAGBR offers there is right out of the Good Book.<\/p>\n<p><em>For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bit.ly\/guidepostssub\"><strong>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> <em>magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The reference desk staff at Baton Rouge, Louisiana\u2019s public libraries pride themselves on answering their patrons\u2019 questions. The best recipe for jambalaya. The history of zydeco. The number of times the LSU Tigers football team has been to the Cotton Bowl (that would be five). Even in this age of Google and Siri, there\u2019s no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[327,185],"tags":[11,55],"ppma_author":[780],"class_list":["post-17146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-americas-angels","category-stories-of-faith-and-hope","tag-helping-others","tag-inspiration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When Disaster Struck, Volunteers of America Found an Innovative Way to Help - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Disaster Struck, Volunteers of America Found an Innovative Way to Help\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The reference desk staff at Baton Rouge, Louisiana\u2019s public libraries pride themselves on answering their patrons\u2019 questions. 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