MDS celebrated its 75th anniversary at a great Annual Celebration in Wichita, Kansas!

MDS began when a Sunday School class of younger adults in the Wichita area wondered about how they could respond to a tornado in the area. There were also similar stories in Canada, when the newly formed BC Unit was asked to feed a boat load of 4000 Hungarian refugees. By the late 50’s the Canada and US initiatives merged to form the MDS we know today. In rebuilding after disasters, MDS always aims to build back better. 

This past summer, MDS was finally able to build one house in the town of Lytton that burned three years ago. Project leaders were aware of the guidelines for net zero energy ratings and fire-resistant ratings, but felt with the skill level of volunteers, that would not be possible. Doing the best they could, inspectors told them after the fact that the project had achieved the first net zero ready and fire-resistant rating ever, for a house in Canada. That’s building back better MDS style.