How lumberjacks from Virginia church are helping tornado-ravaged neighborhood

CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. -- As cleanup continues in Caroline County neighborhood badly damaged by an EF-1 tornado spawned by Tropical Depression Debby, some lumberjacks cranked out comfort food in the kitchen instead of chopping up trees.

"We got all the great volunteers out here that came in to help out the community," Brian Hurley with the Wrights Chapel Lumberjacks said while he scrambled eggs and flipped pancakes.

WTVR

Wright's Chapel United Methodist Church held a breakfast Sunday morning to raise money for the people in the Lake Caroline subdivision whose homes were damaged by the storm.

"I don't know that we've ever had a storm that has taken out or made as many homes unlivable as this one," Charles Tillapaugh, who has been the pastor at Wright's Chapel for three decades, said.

But regardless of whether congregants' homes were spared, everyone had a seat at these tables, which were filled with fellowship and food.

"A lot of people went through a real, real tough time over the past few days," Hurley said. "It's fun to be able to do this for them."

WATCH: Church group lumberjacks help cleanup Virginia neighborhood hit by EF-1 tornado

Tillapaugh said the plan to feed those impacted by the twister was a pivot from a 20-year tradition of serving breakfast to about 400 county teachers, which was canceled because of the storms.

"Thursday night they contacted us and said, 'Because of the pending storm, we're really sorry, but we're going to have to cancel<" Tillapaugh recalled. "Through a group conversation we kind of came up with, 'Hey, let's have a community breakfast and we'll just invite folks to come, and we'll take a love offering and share that with the community to help families in need."

WTVR

More than 30 houses in the neighborhood were damaged, according to National Weather Service officials.

And while deputies said no one was injured, nine homes were uninhabitable.

Tiilapaugh said the church plans to continue to be where the need is greatest..

"A presence of Jesus' love, a presence of support, a presence of goodwill for our neighbors," Tillapaugh said. "We call it neighbors helping neighbors. And that's what we want to be a as a church. That's what our call is."

In addition to the support from the church, the Virginia Red Cross said they have provided assistance for seven people displaced from two homes.

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