MOUNT VERNON — Sitting in the reception area of the American Red Cross of Knox County, Tom Tenney joked about what kind of food he liked. He was talking about Louisiana delicacies, as he prepared to fly to Baton Rouge to assist with the victims of Hurricane Gustav.
Tenney joins Mount Vernon resident Bob Hudson, who flew to the Gulf Coast on Sept. 1.
“This is my form of mission work,” said Tenney. “People do all kinds of mission work; this is what I do.”
Tenney and Hudson are volunteers from the ARC of Knox County, and will work for two weeks helping repair the damage left behind from Gustav.
“The American Red Cross survives through the generosity of the people that live in our communities,” said Dan Werner, executive director of the local office. “Whether that generosity drives them to donate of their finances or their time, we need volunteers to carry out our mission.”
Tenney recently retired from the Knox County Career Center, where he taught building trades for more than a decade.
“We are glad that we have people that are willing to be deployed,” said Dee Hoeflich, office manager and disaster services coordinator for the local Red Cross. “This allows the Knox County Chapter to do our part in helping the American Red Cross assist those in need, hundreds of miles away.
“The two men that we sent this week have both recently gone through disaster response training that we held here in Knox County just a few months ago,” she added.
