wfn.org | Pennsylvania Church Gathers "Trash" for Mission

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
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Note 443 modified by UMNS on Nov. 7, 1997 at 16:45 Eastern (3333 characters).

CONTACT: Linda Bloom						   631(10-71B){443}
		New York (212) 870-3803				  Nov. 7, 1997

Church collection project
nets truckloads for Red Bird

				by United Methodist News Service

	At St. John's United Methodist Church in Ivyland, Pa., the concept of
recycling has been stretched far beyond bottles and newspapers.
	Over the past two years, the 1,600-member congregation has collected all
types of used but usable items in their suburban Philadelphia community --
enough to fill nine semi tractor-trailers bound for Red Bird Missionary
Conference in Beverly, Ky.
	At Red Bird, the items may be sold to low-income residents at one of three
area community stores, given to families whose homes have been destroyed by
fire or be used in various mission programs.
	"Definitely, they [St. John's] are unique in the amount they have
contributed," said Brian Barker, Red Bird's director of development. "They are
probably our largest 'in-kind' giver."
	The Rev. Bill Thompson, St. John's pastor, said the congregation's response
has been "overwhelming," both in terms of collecting and volunteering for work
teams to Red Bird.
	"One of our members even made up a name card that says 'St. John's Usable
Material Collections (UMC),'" he added. "He's a glorified trash picker."
	Trash is the operative word. Rich Conant, the St. John's member who organized
the collection program, said he first got the idea when he walked through the
Red Bird warehouse and realized that he'd seen "better items thrown in the
trash."
	He checked into renting a tractor-trailer and placed announcements for the
collection of items ranging from clothing to furniture to toys in the church
bulletins. "I was worried about filling one tractor-trailer the first year and
we filled two," he said. In 1997, seven such vehicles made the trip.
	Now the congregation is organized by packers and picker-uppers. Three members
who drive tractor-trailers for a living are volunteers and another member now
donates the vehicles. "People who weren't involved in anything else got
involved in this," Conant added.
	Donations come from carpet retailers wanting to dispose of remnants; storage
companies needing to unload bins of customers who default; colleges getting
rid of old computer equipment and homeowners cleaning out an attic or
basement. In conjunction with the Rotary Club, they distribute fliers through
real estate agents to people who are moving and may want to discard furniture.
	"We have regular customers now who call us when they have something," he
said.
	Other donations have included bicycles, organs and house trailers. Of the
three donated vehicles St. John's has taken to Red Bird, a pickup truck is
used as a maintenance vehicle, a car for driver's education and a second car
for administrative staff, according to Barker.
	Red Bird receives "a very high percentage of usable clothing" from St.
John's, he said, which is sold in the community stores or used in a clothing
assistance program.
	Clothing and furniture also is used in Red Bird's "burnout program" for
families who lose their houses to fire.  "If they've got a place to go and set
up housekeeping again, we'll help them," Barker explained. "For a lot of these
very low-income families, it's the only way to start over again."
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