|
October 5, 2004
Hunger No More: World Food Day Resources
For United Methodist congregations involved in hunger issues, UMCOR highlights several initiatives to support World Food Day October 16. "Multiplication: The Arithmetic of Sustainable Agriculture" is a new e-bulletin insert available to download and print locally. See how a harvest of honey, the humble soybean, and a fast-growing tree contribute to UMCOR's sustainable agriculture program in impoverished areas of Africa. Throughout the month of October, UMCOR's partner Foods Resource Bank celebrates the harvest with special regional programs. To learn if your area is holding a celebration, visit online http://www.foodsresourcebank.org. On October 24, ABC-TV affiliates will begin to broadcast "Hunger No More," a documentary that shows how United Methodists participate in resolving the social and moral issues of hunger. UMCOR is one of the program's underwriters. Contact your local ABC affiliate to ensure that "Hunger No More" airs in your community. Finally, gifts of money assist with long-term solutions. Give generously to UMCOR Advance #982188, Sustainable Agriculture, and UMCOR Advance #982920, World Hunger and Poverty.
USA and Caribbean: Recovery and Calamity
Storms have dealt a knock-out blow to Haiti, where disaster cleanup teams continue to find corpses amid mud and debris. More than 300,000 Haitians are homeless. Some towns are accessible only by air, heightening fears of famine and water-borne disease. Grenada lost more than 90 percent of its buildings to Hurricane Ivan, along with many nutmeg trees, which take a decade to become productive. Teams from UMCOR's international disaster response unit will assess damage in Haiti, Grenada and the Caymans later this week. UMCOR has sent grants to the church in the Bahamas, Cuba and Haiti, and to international partners in Grenada to assist with early relief efforts. The aid agency expects to map out long-term recovery plans in several of these hard-hit island nations.
In the southeastern United States, long-term case management plans, delayed while UMCOR workers cleaned up after the region's fourth hurricane, have resumed. The enormity of the multi-storm thrashing may just now be sinking in, said Mary Gaudreau. The director of care ministries in the Oklahoma Conference disaster response unit, Rev. Gaudreau recently provided UMCOR workers and conference volunteers in Florida with training in how to recognize "compassion fatigue" and what to do about post-disaster stress in what she calls "the fog of disaster." Humor, physical exertion, and prayer all help survivors and caregivers to cope. "A social support system can make a huge difference" in reducing the risk of burn-out in caregivers, she said.
UMCOR continues its urgent call for flood buckets, the supplies volunteers use to clean up post-hurricane debris and water. Your gifts of money enable specially trained disaster workers such as Mary Gaudreau to minister in hard-hit areas; provide direct assistance such as rent payments; and underwrite purchase of building supplies. UMCOR anticipates that long-term recovery from these severe storms will take several years. Please give generously to UMCOR Advance #982410, Hurricanes 2004.
UMCOR Issues Urgent Call for Medicine Boxes
Children, adults of all ages, and babies and their mothers will be healthier if United Methodists respond to UMCOR's urgent call for Medicine Boxes. Need is greatest now in the Caucasus, Haiti, Grenada, Cambodia and Cuba. Many clinics and hospitals there receive basic supplies sporadically, if at all. A Medicine Box®, assembled and shipped by UMCOR partner Interchurch Medical Assistance, contains essential drugs and medical supplies to treat about 1,000 people for three months. Each IMA-assembled Medicine Box containing prescription medicines and over-the-counter supplies costs $425. Or, for a donation of $375 per box to cover the prescription drugs, your church can donate the over-the-counter supplies. You'll find a list online. To participate please consider a generous contribution to UMCOR Advance #982630, Medicine Box . To designate a country or region, simply write the name, together with the code, in the memo line of your check.
Liberia: Help Resupply Soul Clinic Health Kits
Demand is exceeding supplies of health kits and school kits at Soul Clinic Camp near Monrovia, Liberia. Some of the 23,000 displaced people who occupy the camp, managed by UMCOR, have been refugees or internally displaced since 1993. Your church can assemble kits or, if you prefer, purchase bulk supplies. This kind of hands-on mission is a great project for a church school class or congregation. You can find instructions for assembly and shipping information online. UMCOR also welcomes your gifts of cash to Advance #901440, Material Resource Ministry, to enable the purchase of kit supplies by UMCOR staff.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out
more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.
Get the free UMCOR Hotline
Telephone: 1-800-841-1235; Web: http://gbgm-umc.org/UMCOR-Hotline/
Email: http://list.gbgm-umc.org/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=umcor-hotline
BE SURE TO RECEIVE OUR HOTLINE EMAILS. MAKE UMCOR YOUR BUDDY! Some Internet Service Providers like AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and Juno use email filtering software that allows you to add email addresses to a "buddy," "trusted," "safe," or approved list. Please add umcor@gbgm-umc.org to your list so that our messages don't end up in "junk mail" or the "trash." |
Featured Photos
United Methodist Committee on Relief
MIRACLE TREE: The Moringa oleifera, a tree native to India, grows rapidly in Africa and is very versatile. Every part of it, from leaves to bark, has an important use. This tree is one element of UMCOR's sustainable agriculture program in Africa.
GONAÏVES, HAITI: Two girls wait in line for food and water distributions. Teams from UMCOR's international disaster response unit will assess damage in Haiti, Grenada and the Caymans later this week. Credit: REUTERS/Daniel Morel, September 22, 2004, courtesy www.alertnet.org.
ORLANDO, FL: People apply for disaster food stamps at the Orange County Convention Center. In the southeastern United States, long-term case management plans, delayed while UMCOR workers cleaned up after the region's fourth hurricane, have resumed. Credit: FEMA/Michael Rieger, October 1, 2004.
More Information About UMCOR's Work
|
