Title: Relief shipments to the Gulf Coast continue through Church of the Brethren program June 12, 2006 Church of the Brethren News Service Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN PROGRAM CONTINUES RELIEF SHIPMENTS TO THE GULF COAST
June 12, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- The Church of the Brethren's Service Ministries program, which warehouses and ships relief materials following disasters, is continuing shipments related to Hurricane Katrina as well as many other disasters around the world.
In April, the program shipped blankets, Gift of the Heart Baby Kits and Health Kits, and cleanup buckets to Houma, La., for use by Hurricane Katrina survivors, on behalf of Church World Service (CWS). Other April shipments included blankets and Gift of the Heart Health Kits to a homeless mission in Baltimore, Md.; and shipments of medical and educational supplies to Malawi and the Republic of Congo on behalf of Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA).
In May, Service Ministries made two shipments of supplies to serve survivors of tornados and spring storms in the US, on behalf of CWS: clean up buckets to Missouri and Gift of the Heart School Kits to Arkansas. CWS also had Gift of the Heart Health Kits sent to Syracuse, N.Y., for a Migrant Health Program, and Gift of the Heart Baby Kits and Sewing Kits and blankets shipped to the Fort Peck Tribes in Montana, to serve the elderly and economically disadvantaged.
International shipments in May included medical supplies and equipment sent to Tanzania and a shipment of medical supplies to Honduras on behalf of IMA, Feed the Nations relief goods to Rwanda, and Gift of the Heart School Kits and Health Kits to the Dominican Republic on behalf of CWS.
As of the end of May, the Service Ministries staff were beginning work to prepare a large shipment on behalf of Lutheran World Relief. June shipments on behalf of CWS began with blankets sent to Dorchester, Mass., for use by the homeless and economically disadvantaged.
In other disaster response news from the Church of the Brethren, the Emergency Disaster Fund has given a grant of $4,000 to underwrite expenses incurred by volunteers and staff who assessed needs in the wake of several devastating storms in the US.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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