United Methodists Prepare 100,000-plus Health Kits

Date: August 16, 1999

Responding to the war in the Balkans, United Methodists assembled health kits for those in need at an unprecedented rate over the past few months, according to staff at the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Depot in Baldwin, La.

"People wanted to help after they saw the TV screens a few times in April," said Bob Osgood, referring to news coverage of the plight of people in Kosovo and the refugee camps. "It's been an extraordinary response."

More than 102,000 health kits have been shipped to the depot in the past few months, sometimes arriving by the hundreds each day. The volume of shipments led the U.S. Postal Service to open a second office in Baldwin.

As of mid-August that wave had subsided, Osgood said, but volunteers and staff are still busy processing the kits on the warehouse floor for future shipment.

So far, he said, 28,000 kits have been distributed in the Balkans and he expects another distribution will be made since UMCOR has established an office in Pristina. Other kits will be shipped to Central and Latin America, Africa or eastern Europe.

UMCOR will soon determine how to best assist the Balkan refugees with winter needs, either by shipping supplies or buying items in the region. "I'm concerned about the need for blankets and warm coverings for the Kosovo/Balkans winter," Osgood added.

Volunteers who would like to help sort kits at the depot should call 1-800-334-4221.

Donations to help cover shipping costs for kit distribution throughout the world can be made to Advance #982730. Checks can be placed in church collection plates or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Credit card donations may be made by calling UMCOR at 1-800-554-8583.

HEALTH KITS -- Volunteers Pauline Holloway (left) and Ruth Bramble of Monroe, La., repack health kits destined for refugees in the Balkans. The kits must be repacked at the United Methodist Committee on Relief Depot in Baldwin, La., to ensure they meet customs regulations. A UMNS photo by Joshua Lewis.

TWO FROM ONE -- Volunteers Jane Hoffman (front) and Helen Schieler from Hoopeston (Ill.) United Methodist Church mend bath towels that have been cut in half to conform to the size requirements of health kits destined for refugees in the Balkans. A UMNS photo by Joshua Lewis.

TRUCK LOAD -- Volunteers help Bob Osgood (second from right) unload a tractor trailer full of relief supplies destined for refugees in the Balkans at the United Methodist Committee on Relief Depot in Baldwin, La. A UMNS photo by Joshua Lewis.