UMCOR shipped more than $2,000,000 worth of relief supplies in the first 5 months of 2009. Seven international shipments to Sudan, Armenia and the Republic of Georgia delivered health kits, school kits, sewing kits, layette kits, and bedding kits to those left vulnerable due to economic disaster and violence in those countries.

Volunteers load a shipment for Armenia.

A shipment was made to New Mexico to assist a ministry serving people along the border of Mexico. With help from conference owned warehouses in Illinois and North Carolina, UMCOR responded to flooding in North Dakota and Kentucky. In March, UMCOR sent cleaning buckets and health kits from Mid West Mission in Chatam, IL to North Dakota. UMCOR shipped cleaning buckets to Kentucky from Mission Resource Center in Terrell, NC and MERCI in Goldsboro, NC in May.

The most requested kit continues to be health kits. So far this year, more than 80,000 health kits, 40,000 school kits, 8,700 sewing kits, 5,400 layette kits, 80 bedding kits and 3,700 cleaning buckets have been sent to those in need. Following along with the pattern of decline in the economy, donations of kits, kit materials and monetary donations have seen a decline. However, the need is even greater. Please continue to support UMCOR Relief Supplies through giftsto UMCOR Material Resources Advance # 901440.

“The single biggest need we have right now is for empty school bags” says Glenn Druilhet, Director of Depot Operations at the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot. Although donations to fill the bags are steadily arriving at the depot, donations of the bags for the supplies are not keeping up. Weekly volunteer sewers serving at UMCOR Sager Brown have been busy in the depot’s sewing room this year but many more bags are needed.

Empty bags can be purchased and donated by following the guidelines as listed on the UMCOR website. The polyester tote bags found at hobby stores or online are simply too thin to hold up for a child to use for a prolonged period of time and cannot be used for school kits. Canvas totes that meet the size and handle requirements are accepted.

1,100 school bags from FUMC in Jacksonville, AR.

A volunteer team from First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville, Arkansas brought a donation of more than 1,100 empty school bags sewn by members of their congregation throughout the past year. Colleen Van Nostrand got the idea after working in the sewing room during a mission trip to UMCOR Sager Brown last year. She returned to her church with the idea of forming a weekly sewing group with a goal of making 100 bags. Easily surpassing their original goal, the group provided fun and fellowship for the sewers while filling a great need for UMCOR.

Not everyone can go on a mission trip but everyone can be of service. Consider starting a sewing group at your church or a network of sewers who can be in mission from their homes.

Community Outreach

Kit ministry is an important way that volunteers make a difference in people's lives through mission trips to UMCOR Sager Brown and UMCOR West. Just as importantly, volunteers are committed to caring for neighbors in the host communities of Salt Lake City, Utah and Baldwin, La.

Volunteers at UMCOR Sager Brown recently worked with Bobbie, a woman who lives in a town near Baldwin. Surrounded by a supportive community of family and friends, Bobbie faces life's challenges with strength and grace. In 2004, she was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Following surgery, intense radiation and chemotherapy, Bobbie still has health challenges but is confident the worst is behind her. At times, she experiences extreme swelling in her legs and needs to use a walker.

After recently moving back to her family home, became apparent that the house did not fully accommodate her health needs. The doorway to the bathroom was not accessible for the walker, creating situations where Bobbie had to call for medical assistance. Because the doorway is narrow, emergency personnel had difficulty helping her. Recognizing that she needed a wider doorway but not having the funds to pay for it, she contacted the UMCOR Sager Brown. "I never got help like that," she said. When she got the letter saying her application had been approved she cried, saying, "Thank the good Lord. God is just and good, and good all the time."

Two volunteers from UMCOR Sager Brown replace a door on Bobbie’s home.

Volunteers from UMCOR Sager Brown brought tools and material to widen the bathroom door and to replace the front door that had begun crumbling.

Bobbie admits that she is often overwhelmed with some of her circumstances but her faith is strong and she sees the many ways that she is blessed by those around her. "Life has been hard for me, but I know that I am a child of God and he don't put no more on me than I can bear," she said. "When it look bad, he come through for me."

Thank you for your faithful service to vulnerable people through your work with UMCOR. With the opening of UMCOR West, we are blessed with even more opportunities to serve. We want to hear from you about how you expand opportunities in your congregation and in your community. As the team from First UMC of Jacksonville, Arkansas illustrates, gathering and assembling supply kit materials as a group is a fun, fulfilling and community building experience. Consider hosting a kit event as part of a church group activity, sewing school bags for national teacher day or collecting items for a layette kit during Advent.

Tell us your stories (photos are welcome) and we'll include the most creative ideas in the fall issue and on the website. Submit your stories here. This is a new quarterly e-newsletter highlighting the committed passionate people like you who support UMCOR Relief Supplies. Please share it with your congregations, friends and families by emailing it to them. Anyone can sign up to receive it by entering your information here.