Joplin, Mo. Still Needs Volunteers

When is the last time you took a vacation that benefited you and others? If the answer is never then maybe its time you take a trip to Joplin, Missouri. and volunteer to aide in the ongoing cleanup efforts spawned by the May 22 EF5 tornado that ripped a hole in the heart of the city on May 22, killing at last count 151 people and scattering debris, large trees, mangled vehicles all over the area.

Three weeks after the event, the affected area smells and looks like a gigantic landfill.

Volunteers from all around the country can be found everywhere doing many things including sorting clothes, driving around bottled water, clearing debris, searching for photographs, serving food and selling T- shirts.

Wilma Cagle, Mulberry, Kansas found herself working with Joplin Found Photos, an organization of volunteers that are digging through the debris sorting for photographs in hopes of reuniting the found treasurers with their owners.

Cagle said it gives her chills and a good feeling to dig a photograph out of the debris.

Many of the photographs are being posted on Joplin's Found Photos Facebook page.

So far just over 100 success stories have been posted on the page and there are many more photos on the site waiting to be claimed.

Cagle is just one type of volunteer and many others with many skills are and will be needed for a long time to come.

Many will tell you that seeing the devastation and sifting through the rubble allows one to realize that material things may not be all that important.

As of June 15, city officials estimate that only 15 percent of the debris have been cleared.

Anyone interested in volunteering in Joplin can find many websites listing opportunities or visit http://www.facebook.com/JoplinVolunteers.