TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --
To some, the empty concrete slab amid a neighborhood in ruins is a sign of desolation and despair.

To others, though, it was a chance to spread hope and love.

On June 24, a group of Enterprise volunteers met with disaster relief organizers on that concrete slab on Hargrove Street, which now serves as a temporary base for teams from Disaster Assistance CoC.

The slab was once home to the Central Church of Christ, one of many buildings in Tuscaloosa destroyed by a massive April 27 tornado.

Twenty-one volunteers from Enterprise’s College Avenue Church of Christ worked through Central’s volunteer base from June 23 to June 27 under the leadership of College Avenue’s Youth Minister Brendan Chance.

“It’s always good to come into this type of environment for young people,” Chance said. “We have a lot of comforts, and it’s good to be reminded that stuff can be taken away from you and how blessed you really are. It’s a Biblical principle to help those who are hurting, to take a ‘cup of cold water’ to the thirsty.”

Trae Durden, University of Alabama campus minister for Central Church of Christ, has organized volunteers all summer and continues to work with teams that arrive daily in Tuscaloosa.

He reported that by the end of the summer, around 2,000 non-residential volunteers will have worked with what he calls “The Hargrove Project,” named for the street where the remains of Central Church of Christ lay.

“We just take care of (victims) as best we can,” Durden said. “From our standpoint, this is all about Jesus. It’s all about showing God’s love to our community and letting everyone know God’s here, God’s people are here and God wants to love them and help them through this disaster.”

At the volunteer base, the disaster relief groups have taken on several roles.

The Saturday after the disaster, an estimated 3,600 storm victims were fed hot meals by Disaster Assistance for the Church of Christ Since then, nearly 40,000 victims, volunteers, power company workers, contractors and others in the area have been fed at the site.

The site also houses a disaster relief distribution supply center and sends out teams of volunteers to clear debris, tear down houses and provide other services. The Central team and volunteers have worked at600 houses since the effort began.

The College Avenue group included volunteers of all ages, from 13-year-olds to college students to parents. Among the group was Madelyn Kelley, 13, a member of College Avenue’s youth group.

“I wanted to come here and help people. I wanted to make a difference and try to make this place look just a little bit better,” Kelley said. “It was worth it.”

Leanne Dunaway, a volunteer and former Enterprise resident, had the unique experience of experiencing her town being torn apart by a tornado twice, as she and her husband Tyler were living in Tuscaloosa when the April 27 tornado hit.

“Being from Enterprise, and seeing the tornado there, I saw how much damage it does to people and their physical possessions, mentally and emotionally,” Dunaway said. “Seeing how much it helped to have so many people pour in and help, we really wanted to come back and help here because I knew how much it meant to people.”

As the Enterprise group cleared trees from yards and tore down the remains of storm-shattered houses, many could not help but think of their own hometown’s past.

“It brought back a lot of memories,” Chance said. “Just going through the area by the church that was destroyed, it was almost like the area around the old EHS. It was eerie how similar it looked. I was just thinking about how this may be how we can give a little bit back because I know how much people gave to us as a church and as a city, and this may be being able to do what others did for me.

"It seemed like the natural thing to do.”