Elmbrook church volunteers leave to help Sandy victims

BROOKFIELD -- Those in the Northeast are not only dealing with ongoing recovery efforts following "Superstorm Sandy," but this week, a powerful winter storm came through -- hampering progress made. Meanwhile, volunteers from southeastern Wisconsin continue to reach out.

15 volunteers from Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, only equipped with sleeping bags, food and clothes, packed up their vehicles and starting making the drive out East Thursday morning, November 8th.

They're heading to Linwood, New Jersey, just outside of Atlantic City.  It’s an area that's been hit with a one, two punch - first Sandy, now the snow.

“They said it's pretty bad.  A lot of people are still without power.  A lot of people are homeless because there's nowhere to go, so they're in shelters,” disaster relief coordinator Maryann Lee said.

“I was in the military for four years active duty. I've seen a lot of not so great stuff in the world and I just always wanted to give back,” Justin Jennings, who is volunteering for the first time said.

Most of the volunteers, however, are no strangers to storm relief.

“I took a couple teams to New Orleans, then Nashville, and then last year was Minot, North Dakota,” volunteer Sue Bruk said.

The volunteers are part of Samaritan's Purse, an international group headed by Franklin Graham, dispatched to help victims get back on their feet.  They'll be serving work orders, specifically in homes damaged by flooding and snow.

“Going and shoveling mud, sand, things from homes.  The homes that are salvageable, I think we'll be removing stuff like drywall,”  Bruk said.

On top of that, this is a group that serves for a higher purpose.  With the power of prayer, they hope to restore some faith to an area that's lost so much.

“We do it in the name of Jesus Christ,” Lee said.

The Elmbrook Church volunteers will arrive in New Jersey Friday night.  They'll start working on Saturday and plan to head back home a week later.

CLICK HERE for additional “Superstorm Sandy” coverage via FOX6Now.com.