First Hybrid POD Training for a Congregation

The first fruit of the Love God Serve Together initiative

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Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale Counties (GNR) Department of Public Health will train 3 Local LDS congregations as a Hybrid Point of Dispensing Organization (POD) to dispense medications to their congregation & then to their neighbors  when a public health threat occurs here in Metro Atlanta.

The Suwanee, Level Creek & Sugar Hill Congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) signed up after Noah’s Ark’s first LOVE GOD SERVE TOGETHER event held Saturday, October 14th, 2017 at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Norcross, GA.

Planning for mass dispensing of life-saving medications or vaccinations is a colossal undertaking.

With over 1.1 Million residents to serve in the tri-counties of Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale - there is a great need to have hundreds of faith-based organizations to sign up and be trained as PODs.  

An OPEN POD is set-up in a huge stadium (like the Gwinnett Braves Stadium) for all Tri-County head of household residents to receive these medications. A CLOSED POD is only for dispensing medications to a specific group or organization members.

When Bishop Burke Hunsaker of the Suwanee Congregation of the LDS church met with Mark Reiswig, Director of Emergency Preparedness for GNR about becoming a CLOSED POD for his congregation, the option of a HYBRID POD was discussed.  Should a public health threat occur, Bishop Hunsaker would not want to be limited to only take care of his congregation, but he would prefer to be able to open up the POD to all who would come to his church building for those life-saving medications.

“Like our Savior Jesus Christ who helped all who came to him for assistance, we would not want to turn away anyone who is not of our faith that would need our aid,” said Bishop Hunsaker. 

A few weeks later, approval for a HYBRID POD was received.

All leaders of churches, temples, synagogues and mosques are welcome to train with the 3 LDS congregations on the 27th of January from 8AM – 12PM. They can register at www.tinyurl.com/POD-registration to help organizers plan accordingly.

Noah's Ark is also looking for the next congregation willing to host the next LOVE GOD SERVE TOGETHER event sometime in April of this year.  If you belong to a church, temple, synagogue & mosque - and would like to learn how your congregation can help other faith-based organizations in Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale counties become a POD - please click the button below.

Love to Host the Next Event