Dear Friends in Ministry,
As we learn of the devastation left following hurricane Ian, many may be wondering how to help. Midwest Mission and UMCOR have reached out to us with ways you can help. Please pass this information along to your congregations. Please continue to keep those affected in your prayers.
Midwest Mission:
Midwest Mission is located just outside Chatham, IL is working to provide disaster relief to those affected by Hurricane Ian. “Our Cleaning Kit supplies have been depleted. After sending relief to 14 US disasters this year, including the most recent flooding in Kentucky and St. Louis, we need help replenishing so we can get supplies to our partners who are ready to deploy the requested supplies,” says Executive Director Chantel Corrie.
“While we typically have 3,000 buckets on hand and ready to go, we currently have only 900,” explained Operations Manager Brad Walton. “The recent storms have really turned up the needs, and we continue to answer the requests of our partners in the US and abroad. Hurricane Ian is one of the top priorities now.”
Corrie says, “Please remember disaster response, especially of this magnitude, is not a sprint but a marathon. If you assume what others need you can clog the transportation and storage of items that are more important or create a disaster within a disaster. That’s why we only work with trusted established partners, so we can be sure to send what is actually needed.
Three Ways to Help
1. Donate money so Midwest Mission can buy the supplies needed to fill the Cleaning Kits. Donate by texting “Donate” to 855-589-1314 or go to midwestmission.org/donate.
2. Collect supplies and bring them to Midwest Mission at 1001 Mission Dr. Pawnee, IL 62558. Or take supplies to a Permanent Collection Site near you. https://www.midwestmission.org/donate/permanent-collection-sites
3. Buy supplies online and have them sent directly to Midwest Mission. Walmart and Dollar Days are good resources for volume and discounts.
· Walmart verified supplies needed
https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/c9f2e7dc-d623-4d8e-a819-80965282d0bf
· Dollar Days verified supplies needed https://www.dollardays.com/cleaningkit/wishlist.html
Please donate to Midwest Mission. The donations allow Midwest Mission to help those affected by disasters all over the world and make it possible to continue sending relief shipments when requests are received.
About Midwest Mission Distribution Center
Since opening in 2000, Midwest Mission has been bringing the hearts and hands of God's people together to transform resources into humanitarian and disaster relief through the distribution of education, health, micro business, and disaster relief supplies around the world and around the corner. In 2021, Midwest Mission sent out nearly $6 million in supplies in 33 international and 256 domestic shipments. For every $1 spent, $7.66 of in-kind supplies were sent to people in crisis around the world and around the corner.
As of Aug. 30, 2022, Midwest Mission has already exceeded last year’s shipment numbers for the entirety of 2021. Plus, we shipped our seventh shipment to Ukraine, Sept. 30, 2022. To learn more or to donate, go to www.midwestmission.org.
UMCOR:
While authorities have not yet given the all-clear to enter affected areas, UMCOR and its local partners have been hard at work preparing for storm response and recovery.
Reminder: do not self-deploy to an active disaster area.
Supplies are headed to Florida and initial solidarity grants have been issued to both the Florida and South Carolina Annual Conferences to address immediate needs.
Cleaning supply kits are needed. Churches interested in providing cleaning kits can find information about kit components and assembly instructions here. We encourage churches to coordinate their shipments with their local affiliate warehouses. Learn more about the UMCOR Relief Supplies Network here.
Churches can financially support the work of UMCOR and its local partners by giving to UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery fund (Advance #901670).
Please join us in prayer for those in the Southeastern U.S. who are now in the path of Hurricane Ian and continued prayers for those left in the wake of its devastation. UMCOR will be posting updates on Facebook and Twitter in the coming days.
Should you have questions, please contact Lisa Wink, Director of Communications at lwink@wisconsinumc.org.