Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) URGENT NEED!
In addition to donations of money, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is asking the public to supply 20,000 relief kits, 10,000 heavy comforters and 10,000 sheets to be sent to Haitian earthquake survivors.
The supplies will help relieve the discomfort and suffering of Haitians who are sleeping on streets and open areas because their homes are destroyed or because they don’t trust the safety of the buildings that remain.
Relief kits include personal hygiene supplies, laundry soap, towels and bandages. MCC asks for complete kits with only the specific items on the list of relief kit supplies. Please see the list of relief kit supplies below or visit mcc.org/kits. Relief kits can be packed in a box or bag. MCC will then repackage the kits in new, five-gallon buckets.
Heavy comforters and sheets are also needed. Comforters must be new and filled with quilt batting or a blanket for extra warmth. Twin-size comforters are preferred, but double/full-size comforters are accepted. New, cotton, light-colored queen or king size sheets, with at least a 300-thread count, may be donated.
Donations of relief kits, comforters and sheets may be taken to MCC Material Resource Center, Harleysville or any other MCC Material Resource Center, by Sunday, February 28.
MCC is grateful for the generous financial gifts that people have given to MCC for the people of Haiti; starting just hours after the 7.0 earthquake devastated the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. MCC is airlifting 70,000 pounds of canned meat and 1,000 water filters into Haiti as soon as possible. Another shipment of at least the same amount of meat will be sent by sea. MCC is also purchasing thousands of tents and tarps.
Monetary contributions to MCC’s response in Haiti are welcome. They should be designated “Haiti Earthquake”. Donations can be made online at www.mcc.org or by telephone, 1-888-563-4676. By mail, donations may be sent to MCC, P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501.
Relief kits
•4 large bars bath soap (leave in wrapping)
•1 plastic bottle shampoo (13 – 24oz; place bottle in a re-sealable plastic bag)
•4 large bars of laundry soap (Fels Naptha, Sunlight or Zote brands)
•1 squeeze-tube toothpaste (minimum 130ml / 6oz; leave in box)
•4 adult-size toothbrushes (leave in packaging)
•4 new bath towels (medium weight, dark or bright colors)
•2 wide-tooth combs (6” to 8” length)
•1 fingernail clipper
•1 box adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted)
•1 package sanitary pads (18-24 thin maxi)
Place contents in a box or bag and deliver to one of the drop-off locations in Canada or the U.S. MCC will repack the kits in a new 5-gallon plastic pail with lid.
Comforter specifications
•Use new or nearly new material
•Single/twin-size preferred (60in x 80in). Double/full-size accepted (82in x 90in)
•Winter weight requested (containing quilt batting or a blanket for filler)
•Knotted with crochet cotton (not more than 4” – 8”apart)
Sheet details
•New, double-, queen- or king-size, flat sheets
•300 thread count or higher
•Cotton
•Light colors
Please visit www.mcc.org/kits/dropofflocations to find the MCC drop-off location nearest you.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.