Scientology Volunteer Ministers help feed Hurricane Isaias survivors in the Florida Panhandle

Churches of Scientology Disaster Response teams worked alongside Operation BBQ Relief in Okaloosa County as more than 270,000 hot meals reached families without power

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Volunteer Ministers from Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) deployed to the Florida Panhandle this month to support Operation BBQ Relief in serving hot meals to families displaced by Hurricane Isaias. The two organizations, both members of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD), worked together as Operation BBQ Relief served more than 270,000 hot meals in the days after the storm, until power was restored.

Hurricane Isaias made landfall on the Panhandle in early October, displacing thousands of families and leaving more than 900,000 people without power. In the days and weeks that followed, many households had no way to cook and depended on relief organizations for hot food.

Operation BBQ Relief contacted CSDR, a fellow National VOAD partner, to request help at its base of operations. CSDR sent Volunteer Minister teams from the Tampa Bay area to Okaloosa County in northwest Florida, where they worked days and evenings behind the scenes so that meals could be delivered to the hardest-hit areas.

The Volunteer Ministers cooked, assembled and labeled food boxes, loaded and unloaded trucks and assisted with distribution.

"We often forget or don't know about all that goes on behind the scenes in bringing relief to those impacted by disasters," said Doyle Mills, lead CSDR Volunteer Minister for the deployment. "In this case, Operation BBQ Relief needed support at their base in not only cooking the hot meals, but preparing all the food boxes, unloading and loading trucks, labeling boxes and helping with the food distribution. Despite the hard work, helping Operation BBQ Relief to serve some of the over 270,000 hot meals, in the days following the hurricane until power could be restored, was a real joy."

The partnership between the Volunteer Ministers, known for their yellow shirts, and the red-shirted Operation BBQ Relief teams reflects National VOAD's guiding principles, the "4Cs" of communication, coordination, collaboration and cooperation among disaster relief organizations.

Information on CSDR deployments and how to volunteer is available at csdr-us.org.

About Operation BBQ Relief

Operation BBQ Relief is a nonprofit disaster relief organization that deploys volunteer pitmasters and mobile kitchens to provide hot barbecue meals to families, first responders and relief workers in the wake of natural disasters.

About Churches of Scientology Disaster Response

Churches of Scientology Disaster Response was formed following 9/11 and is based in Washington, D.C. Its Volunteer Ministers have responded to hundreds of disasters, including tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and wildfires.

About the Volunteer Ministers

The Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service and disaster response program sponsored by the Church of Scientology International. Created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, it operates in more than 170 countries. Its motto is "Something Can Be Done About It."

SOURCE Church of Scientology International