Update 1: 2026 youth mission trip
Thirteen young people and five adults from Saint James’ are in Hurley, Virginia, from Monday, June 15, to Saturday, June 20, 2026, on a volunteer trip to support the work of Hurley Community Development, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the residents of this isolated and economically disadvantaged community stay in their homes.
Monday & Tuesday in Hurley
Andrew, Beckett, Baxter, Ava, Libsy and Henry
Good evening from Hurley! After several stops and a long road trip, we were so happy to arrive in Hurley and settle in Monday night. On Tuesday morning, we split the team into two different groups for our first workday.
Crew #1 (Andrew, Libsy, Henry, Ava, Baxter, Easton, Chris and Jen) — This crew stayed at the community center to prep the frame for a temporary ramp to be installed at a nearby home, but our biggest project today was assisting in setup for the monthly food bank. The students put together 200 food boxes in preparation for the food distribution tomorrow morning. After lunch, the crew helped unload 3,000 pounds of additional food to be shared throughout the community. Before the day finished they delivered the ramps and lumber out to the homeowners for installation tomorrow.
Crew #2 (Alex, Carson, Beckett, James, Charlie, Wyatt, Margy and Ryan) — This crew was greeted by the homeowner, Charlie, who is a local pastor. Our foreman, Glenn, gave the rundown of the project. The matriarch of the family is battling cancer and in need of a better way to get in and out of their home. Prior to the project, she had to be lifted by stretcher up the front stairwell. The ramp is well underway and the team hopes to finish it up tomorrow. Charlie's wife Phyllis even made the whole crew taco soup and banana pudding — the perfect treat!
Building a ramp on Tuesday, June 16
The volunteers here in Hurley are so good to us. They’ve welcomed us like old friends and have been feeding us with dinners and a whole buffet of desserts each night. Always lots of snacks available for game time in the evenings and all the time we spend eating between meals too. Lauralee and Father Ben arrived Tuesday night, and we’re looking forward to another great day and more progress on Wednesday.
