When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, Stephanie Moore knew she had to do something. So, the Team Rubicon disaster relief volunteer—or Greyshirt—signed up to deploy to Jamaica with Team Rubicon on a disaster relief and recovery operation. Nevermind that it would mean spending Christmas volunteering far from home. It was a calling she heeded.
“I’m here over the holidays because the need is great here in Jamaica, and just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean the need goes away,” says Moore. “The people here need the world to help them through the worst disaster most of them have ever seen.”
Today, Moore is among 50-some Greyshirts sending the holidays serving in disaster-affected communities across the United States and the Caribbean.
Greyshirts Spend Christmas Volunteering in Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa
Moore is among 21 Greyshirts who are mucking out damaged homes, tarping roofs, and removing debris left by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica this Christmas day. For many, it’s not the first—or the last—time they’ll spend Christmas volunteering.
Jason Taylor, a Marine Corps veteran and Greyshirt, served on his very first operation—Team Rubicon’s response to the devastating December tornadoes in Kentucky—over Christmas in 2021.
“I found that serving over the holidays adds a special element to the operation. Everyone who was there was electing to spend time with their TR family, to help serve a community in need during a time traditionally reserved for celebration,” says Taylor. “Since then, I have served in multiple communities over various holidays, and this week in Jamaica is my third Christmas operation.”
All the Greyshirts deployed say the families they left stateside support their work, and understand it’s the greatest gift they can offer.
“I chose to travel to Jamaica at this time of year to offer a reminder that, in moments of need, humanity has the power to lift one another up,” says Greyshirt and Army Veteran Jon Holcomb. “I hope my new friends here experience a few days of peace, knowing they are not facing everything alone. When we are in need, our hearts recognize and respond to one another.”
Team Rubicon’s Jamaica operations, which were initially stood up at the beginning of November, don’t stop for or after the holidays, but are scheduled to run through at least mid-January.
Serving in Washington State After Historic Flooding
Nearly three dozen Greyshirts have also deployed to Washington State in response to the devastating atmospheric river flooding there. In mid-December, King and Whatcom counties were among the Washington counties that experienced historic flooding when a series of powerful atmospheric river storms dumped extraordinary amounts of rain across western Washington. The storms pushed rivers well above flood levels, stressed flood infrastructure, and prompted widespread evacuations and life-threatening flash flooding.
In response, Greyshirts descended upon the state from as far away as Massachusetts and New York and will spend Christmas volunteering or flooding response operations.
“I am deeply aware of how fortunate I am to have warmth, food, and people who love me, and that awareness compels me to show up for those who may be facing the holidays without any of those things,” says Greyshirt Maverick Johnson of his decision to spend Christmas in service in Washington State.
Team Rubicon volunteers in Sumas, WA, are already helping homeowners and individuals clean up from the floods. They have been conducting site surveys, debris removal, and muck outs since December 18, and the work in Whatcom County is expected to continue into early January. Similar work stands up on Christmas day in King County for an operation that is also expected to continue into late January.
Greyshirts Call Christmas Volunteering the Most Meaningful Gift They Can Offer
Greyshirt and Army Veteran Kat Scanlon, whose first deployment with Team Rubicon was a flooding operation, is among those spending Christmas volunteering in Washington State. “People need help. People are desperate. It’s their holidays, too, and they’re just dealing with surviving what happened,” says Scanlon.
She chose the flood response operation in Sumas over her usual Christmas Harry Potter marathon movie fest.
“If Christmas is the season of giving, what better gift can there be than to give these people a little bit of respite and help?” posits Greyshirt Scanlon.
For Greyshirts, Christmas volunteering is not about sacrifice, but about showing up when communities need support the most. Or, as Marine Corps Veteran and Greyshirt Jon Chapman says, true giving is not about convenience or recognition, but about showing up, sharing effort, and strengthening community bonds.
“I chose to volunteer with flood victims in Washington state over the holidays because moments of crisis call for service, not comfort. While the Christmas season is meant to focus on generosity and giving and time with family and friends, entire communities are facing loss, uncertainty, and isolation,” says Chapman. “Volunteering is a way to stand with people in their time of need and to support a community working to recover together. In serving, not only do I get to help others restore their homes and make their lives whole again, but I also get to work alongside others who will become my family and friends.”
Whether they’re in balmy Jamaica or rain-soaked Washington, for these Greyshirts, Christmas volunteering is a deliberate act of service—one that turns the holiday into a time of empathy, solidarity, and recovery for communities in crisis. For each, the choice to spend the season helping families recover, restoring homes, and reminding communities that they are not alone during the holidays is clearly their own way to celebrate.
