Volunteer on Texas Hurricane Response Program

I volunteered with All hands and Hearts houston in March. My fiancé and I went for a week which I thought would be enough but after how much we loved it and enjoyed our time I wish we had stayed 3 months. Everything was very well organised, everyone we met was so friendly we made some friends. The site supervisor Barrett would we worked with was very welcoming and so encouraging, he was patience and kind and made us feel like we could achieve anything. All the staff made us feel at home and were genuinely interested in getting to know us. The food and accommodation was well organised and cleaned daily by volunteers.

Not to sound too cliche but the experience was life changing and made us both feel differently about how we see ourselves and others and want to give our time to more programmes in the future.
I would recommend everyone to give even just one week you get as much as you give. It’s awesome

This was my first project with All Hands and Hearts and most definitely not my last. I was originally signed up to volunteer in Houston for two weeks, but after my first few days I knew I wanted to stay longer. I ultimately remained on project for just over three months, and in that time I worked on sites that will stay with me forever and made friends who became family.

The Houston project is filled with a variety of different work, including muck & guts, sanitations, rebuilds, and more. I've had days where I was installing flooring and others where I completed entire kitchen guts. No matter the task at hand, each day's work was overwhelmingly gratifying .

Words cannot fully describe the level of love and admiration I have for this project, and I'm sure each new volunteer will feel the same. I would return in an instant if I could.

Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts - Smart Response in both Denham Springs, Louisiana and then in Aransas Pass, Texas was the most life changing experience I’ve had thus far. I went in wanting to do something adventurous but selfless and All Hands and Hearts provided just that. An incredible, fulfilling, exciting, yet difficult in all of the best ways possible experience. I met some of my absolute favorite human beings, learned an entire new skill set, and above all else gained a new perspective on life and how I think we as human beings should spend our lives. Being given the chance to travel, meet new like-minded people, and put myself to work to help people who have been put into unexpected and unfortunate circumstances is something I cannot thank All Hands and Hearts for enough. I highly recommend applying to volunteer on any of AHAH’s programs open around the world.

People still need help in Texas after Hurricane Harvey and AH&H is still there when most organizations have left. AH&H brings a variety of people together to live and work with each other. You create a family with the people you meet and they become life long friends. I have learned so much about myself and the value of community from working with this organization. I highly recommend this organization to anyone seeking adventure and a valuable learning experience. They work all over the world and get there early and stay late.

Talk about hard and rewarding work... With years of volunteering, its rare to find a volunteer community as strong and passionate as this one. All Hands and Hearts does an excellent job balancing work completed with an immersive and structured volunteer experience. Program staff make incredible strides to insure the comfort of all the volunteers, so that they can better impact the communities they are assisting.

With skilled leaders at the helm of every site, volunteers can expect to challenge themselves learning basic to advanced construction skills with opportunities to lead and teach others. If you're searching for a way to give back, one of the most valuable things you can give is time. It means the world to the people who need assistance getting back on their feet after a devastating disaster that displaced thousands. Prepare to share tears and smiles with amazing and grateful homeowners and like-minded volunteers.

Give two weeks now, impact someones life forever.

All Hands and Hearts Volunteers has changed my life. I found All Hands Volunteers last October and volunteered for a while and eventually became staff. The communal environment is good for the soul and the work is something to channel passion into and get the most out of the human experience. I have been part of something larger than myself, helping those most vulnerable, and made life long friends and countless beautiful experiences along the way. I would recommend them to anyone who loves to be around others, really get to know themselves, and do some good work.

I never knew a group of strangers from all over the world could make such a huge impact and feel like family. The communal living was great! great food, great accommodations! I was on the Texas project for 5 months. I wish I could have stayed longer.

The staff was amazing and kind, and the work was difficult but rewarding! I would recommend this program to anyone!!! I will be back! There is no doubt about that!