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Volunteers with Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief serve in times of disaster — tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and wildfires — but their latest effort to offer aid has landed them at a popular global sporting event that's captured the world's attention, one match at a time.
The ministry's volunteers have joined with volunteers from Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief to provide laundry service at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The highly anticipated World Cup matches are being played on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which has temporarily been branded as Kansas City Stadium.
Jason Yarbrough, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief director, said volunteers are doing laundry for support personnel like medical staff and security at the World Cup.
He said the Missouri disaster relief organization requested the help earlier in the year. Often, part of disaster relief support is providing laundry service for disaster victims. The opportunity to do so in a vastly different situation like the World Cup wasn't a hard sell, Yarbrough said.
"They were eager to go and to serve, " he said of the volunteers.
"I can just say it this way: we did not have to get on the phone and convince people ... the need was met very quickly. And, part of that was the nature of this opportunity. This is something different that we get to do and we love being a part of it."
He said the volunteer team arrived in Kansas City with the ministry's two laundry trailers about a week and a half ago, and three or four volunteers will likely rotate in for the next two weeks.
Volunteers are doing between 10 and 15 loads of laundry a day, depending on the timeframe. More laundry is done during the latter part of the week, Yarbrough said.
"It's not always how much we do when we're deployed, it's the fact that we're there and we're able to meet the need as it arises," he said.
The Baptist leader said volunteers still get to fulfill the mission of the disaster relief ministry. That mission, he said, is at the forefront of what they do.
"We have a ministry that goes to provide help and hope to people in their time of need," Yarbrough said. "In this situation, we are still able to have conversations with people that ask for their laundry to be done. We learn about them and where they're from and what they've been up to. Then, if there are needs beyond that kind of conversation and the service we offer, then we definitely look for opportunities to share the hope of the Lord."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Baptist volunteers lend a hand in KC at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Continue reading...
The ministry's volunteers have joined with volunteers from Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief to provide laundry service at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The highly anticipated World Cup matches are being played on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which has temporarily been branded as Kansas City Stadium.
Jason Yarbrough, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief director, said volunteers are doing laundry for support personnel like medical staff and security at the World Cup.
He said the Missouri disaster relief organization requested the help earlier in the year. Often, part of disaster relief support is providing laundry service for disaster victims. The opportunity to do so in a vastly different situation like the World Cup wasn't a hard sell, Yarbrough said.
"They were eager to go and to serve, " he said of the volunteers.
"I can just say it this way: we did not have to get on the phone and convince people ... the need was met very quickly. And, part of that was the nature of this opportunity. This is something different that we get to do and we love being a part of it."
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He said the volunteer team arrived in Kansas City with the ministry's two laundry trailers about a week and a half ago, and three or four volunteers will likely rotate in for the next two weeks.
Volunteers are doing between 10 and 15 loads of laundry a day, depending on the timeframe. More laundry is done during the latter part of the week, Yarbrough said.
"It's not always how much we do when we're deployed, it's the fact that we're there and we're able to meet the need as it arises," he said.
You must be registered for see images
The Baptist leader said volunteers still get to fulfill the mission of the disaster relief ministry. That mission, he said, is at the forefront of what they do.
"We have a ministry that goes to provide help and hope to people in their time of need," Yarbrough said. "In this situation, we are still able to have conversations with people that ask for their laundry to be done. We learn about them and where they're from and what they've been up to. Then, if there are needs beyond that kind of conversation and the service we offer, then we definitely look for opportunities to share the hope of the Lord."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Baptist volunteers lend a hand in KC at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Continue reading...
