wfn.org | COB Ships Supplies to Hurricane Survivors

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Sept. 17, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN'S MATERIAL RESOURCES PROGRAM
SHIPS SUPPLIES TO HURRICANE SURVIVORS

(Sept. 17, 2008) Elgin, IL -- "In response to Hurricane Gustav we loaded
a trailer Friday night destined for Hammond, La.," reported Loretta
Wolf, director of the Church of the Brethren's Material Resources
program. "The trailer started in Harrisburg, Pa., picking up 1,008
Emergency Clean-Up Bucket Kits and stopping in New Windsor to add
624 more clean-up kits."

The Material Resources program is a Church of the Brethren ministry
located at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. The
Material Resources staff process, warehouse, and distribute disaster
relief materials on behalf of a variety of ecumenical partners including
Church World Service (CWS).

The shipment of Emergency Clean-Up Bucket Kits responding to Gustav
"used all the kits we have on hand," Wolf said. She encourages
congregations, groups, and individuals to donate the urgently needed
CWS Emergency Clean-Up Bucket Kits. Information is online at
www.churchworldservice.org/news/archives/2008/06/906.html for
assembling the kits. The buckets provide cleaning supplies for people to
clean up their homes following floods and other disasters.

In other shipments related to the recent hurricanes, CWS Hygiene Kits
were shipped to a number of locations in Louisiana in response to
Gustav, including Donaldsonville, Point Couppee, Baton Rouge,
Denham Springs, Pierre Part, and Thibodoux. "One small request was
received from Nacogdoches, Texas, to send two bales of blankets and
one carton of Hygiene Kits related to Hurricane Ike," Wolf  said. "It is
likely additional shipments will go out this week once needs are
assessed."

Other recent Material Resources work has included a shipment on behalf
of Lutheran World Relief (LWR) to Azerbaijan; an LWR shipment to
Tanzania; a 40-foot container of supplies to Georgia as a cooperative
effort of LWR and International Orthodox Christian Charities; a
shipment to Jordan on behalf of International Orthodox Christian
Charities; a shipment on behalf of IMA World Health to Armenia;
domestic CWS shipments to respond to flooding in Iowa, Wisconsin,
Texas, and Alaska; CWS supplies sent to New York for use with migrant
farm workers; and CWS supplies for homeless shelters in Minnesota and
New Mexico.

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 more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

> # # #

> For more information contact:

> Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
> Director of News Services
> Church of the Brethren
> 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
> 800-323-8039 ext. 260
> cobnews@brethren.org

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