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United Methodists Reach Out to Evacuees in HoustonBy Michelle Scott Posted: September 7, 2005 United Methodists from all over Texas will be providing a ministry of service next week to some 1,300 evacuees staying in Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. This is one of four large shelters in Houston, including the Astrodome, housing people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Approximately 750 United Methodist volunteers will come to the convention center each day from Sept. 14 to Sept. 20 to serve the people sheltered there. Volunteers will work in one of three daily shifts with about 250 volunteers working at a time. They will serve food, spend time with the children, assist the elderly, and provide many other acts of service as they are needed. A “Massive Undertaking”The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is in Houston sharing resources and expertise with the Texas Annual Conference to organize what will be a “massive undertaking,” says domestic disaster response executive, Tom Hazelwood. The volunteers are being recruited from throughout the annual conference. Hazelwood notes with confidence that there will be more than enough volunteers to meet this need and comments that the Texas Annual Conference is doing a great job of ministering to the huge influx of evacuees in their state. “It’s going to take everybody in this country doing something,” said Hazelwood to Disaster News Network in regard to the national response. “This whole country is affected by what’s happened. I don’t know of a single church that’s not doing something. They’re all involved.” Cash gifts will help UMCOR continue to support annual conferences and interfaith response efforts in the Gulf Coast disaster area as well as other vulnerable regions of the world. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal, including the Hurricane Relief/Katrina appeal, UMCOR Advance #982523, goes to support recovery efforts in the disaster-stricken regions. See AlsoNews and Resources
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 Hurricane evacuee Ikeya Hoker of New Orleans picks out stuffed toys in a shelter at the Houston Astrodome building. Hoker was at the shelter with her grandmother. Credit: John Gordon/UMNS How You Can HelpGive: Your generous gift to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 Global, will help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. You can give online at www.methodistrelief.org, at your church, over the phone at 1-800-554-8583, or by mailing a check directly to: UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Checks should be written to UMCOR with the Advance number and name written on the memo line of your check. If you would prefer that your funds to go to recovery in a specific region, please note that on your donation. Send: There is an urgent need for both health kits and school kits. These collections of everyday items will help families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The health kits contain items such as a toothbrush, wash cloth, and soap. The school kits contain items like paper, pencils, and items to help children start school. For assembly and shipping instructions, call UMCOR Sager Brown at 1-800-814-8765 or visit the UMCOR website. You may also give a financial donation to to UMCOR's Material Resource Ministry, Advance #901440 to purchase kit supplies that the Depot staff and volunteers will use to assemble health kits and school kits. Go: Volunteers will be needed to help in Hurricane Katrina recovery. To find out how you can help with hurricane cleanup, contact your United Methodist Volunteers in Mission jurisdictional and annual conference coordinators. A list of these coordinators is available on the web at http://gbgm-umc.org/vim/vimcoords.htm or write Mission Volunteers at voluntrs@gbgm-umc.org for contact information. They will provide details on creating and training a team as well as scheduling details. For information on what disaster sites are currently scheduling volunteers, call the Volunteer Hotline at 800-918-3100. |
