Center ships 158,000 pounds of relief supplies to Haiti.

The Material Resources program at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md., has sent a total of nine shipments of relief goods to Haiti since the earthquake, representing 157,962 pounds of food, tents, blankets, quilts, baby care kits, hygiene kits, toothpaste, and flashlights, along with 105 boxes of medicine and medical supplies provided by IMA World Health.

Material Resources is a Church of the Brethren program that warehouses, processes, and ships disaster relief materials on behalf of a number of ecumenical partner organizations including Church World Service, Lutheran World Relief, and IMA World Health, among others.

Four of the shipments were made on behalf of Church World Service, and CWS also joined with IMA World Health in sponsoring a shipment of the medicine boxes. Two other shipments of medicine boxes were made in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee and an Episcopal relief group. Lutheran World Relief and International Relief and Development (IRD) jointly sponsored a shipment of quilts, hygiene kits, and toothpaste by ocean freight. The organization Feeding the Nations shipped two loads of food and tents by ocean freight.

A total of 29,940 hygiene kits and 5,400 baby care kits have been sent to Haiti in the nine shipments. Also included in the shipments have been 10,500 quilts, 3,950 light-weight blankets, and 2,448 tubes of toothpaste.

An urgent plea for more hygiene kits was issued last week by Material Resources staff, after all available kits had been sent to Haiti, The plea is being heard by individuals and congregations from many denominations, reports Kathleen Campanella, communications staff for the center. "Deliveries of donated hygiene kits have increased," she said. The center's Buildings and Grounds staff have had to make two daily trips to the New Windsor Post Office to pick up kits, and UPS deliveries of kits have stepped up as well. "People within driving distance, in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, are delivering kits directly to the distribution center," Campanella said.

For instructions to make hygiene kits and baby care kits, go to www.churchworldservice.org/kits. For instructions to make and donate the new Family Household Kit for Haiti, go to www.brethren.org/site/DocServer/10-02-09_document_calling_for_CoB_Quake_Kits.pdf?docID=6961.

A worship meditation on the hygiene kit, accompanied by a PowerPoint slide show, is available for congregations, Sunday school groups, and others who are collecting kits for Haiti. Go to www.brethren.org/site/DocServer/Script-MeditationontheHygieneKit.pdf?docID=6901 to download the script in pdf format; go to www.brethren.org/site/DocServer/PowerPoint-TheHygieneKit.ppt?docID=6921 to download the slide show.

Also new is a revised bulletin insert giving up-to-date information on the Church of the Brethren earthquake response effort in Haiti. Download the bulletin insert at www.brethren.org/site/DocServer/Haiti_EQ_Bulletin_Insert_2-11-10.pdf?docID=6661.

Source: 2/11/2010 Newsline