When Mike Freeman hears about a disaster on the news, he listens with more than the usual interest.

As a member of ShelterBox USA’s response team, Freeman, a Gainesville resident and retired Episcopal priest, is on 48-hour notice to respond to disasters after they occur anywhere in the world.

Most of the disasters he responds to however, are never shown on TV.

“Unless it’s a Haiti or something like it, doesn’t make the news over here,” Freeman said. “Which is unfortunate because the need is there whether the public is excited about it or not.”

Freeman was recently recognized for meeting that need at ShelterBox USA’s annual conference in San Francisco, Calif., on behalf of President Barack Obama with the gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. The award is given to volunteers who devote more than 500 hours of service to various organizations in 2012.

ShelterBox USA President Emily Sperling said it is because of the continued efforts of volunteers like Freeman that the organization is able to reach so many vulnerable families.

Since 2000, the organization has responded to more than 200 disasters in 85 countries. The organization provides boxes packed with a 10-man disaster relief tent, stove, blankets, water filtration system and other survival tools to families who have been displaced by disaster.

“I am truly proud to honor our volunteers who work hard year-round to support ShelterBox and our efforts to help families rebuild their lives around the globe,” Sperling said.

The award is part of a national recognition program created in 2003 through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for people who have contributed a significant amount of time to volunteer activities.
Freeman said he was honored to be given the award. In addition to serving on the response team, he visits Rotary Clubs and other civic organizations in North Georgia to garner support for the organization, so the work can be time-consuming.

“I can build up 500 hours pretty quickly,” Freeman said, laughing.

Freeman has worked with the organizations since he retired in 2007. Over the years, he has been deployed 17 times.

A deployment can last for several weeks, as Freeman and other team members figure out how to get the much-needed boxes through local customs and language barriers to the people who need them.

“We give it to families,” Freeman said. “We don’t give it to organizations or governments. So we need to figure out the logistics to get it out from the airport to the families.”

Freeman said there are usually a few unforeseen problems when delivering the boxes, but it’s still fun to work and solve problems with a team of people who want to help others.

Freeman has been deployed to countries like Colombia and Niger repeatedly to help communities that have lost everything to floods.

On one visit to Colombia, Freeman and his team has a large boat full of boxes docked along the flooded river. But there was a problem in getting them through the flooded village and onto trucks. Freeman and his team had to use small wooden canoes to bridge the gap.

Freeman said he’s been called to assist with every type of disaster except for earthquakes. He’s been to Africa, Central and South America and Japan.

“Mostly I go to foreign countries and most often to Third World countries where they don’t have much to begin with,” Freeman said. “Then you add a disaster and that makes it even worse.”

In November, Freeman was deployed a little closer to home, New Jersey, after Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast.
Though his team didn’t provide tents for shelter, it still provided families with hats, gloves, blankets and toiletries while they recovered from the storm.

Freeman said the domestic trip was quicker than most because of the organization’s strong partnership with Rotary clubs.

At age 73, Freeman said he hopes he’ll be allowed to continue to volunteer with the group for many more years. 
“I find it fascinating,” Freeman said. “It’s an incredible opportunity, an incredible education. I certainly get satisfaction from it.”