Bucket brigades formed in large and small congregations to create cleaning kits needed for disaster relief
November 10, 2022
GLEN ALLEN, VA – The Rev. Bob Pihlcrantz, the disaster coordinator for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (VAUMC), received a call for help from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) requesting cleaning kits. Cleaning kits are packed with necessary supplies to prevent a household from further damage. UMCOR Supply Depots are near to disbursing all the stored cleaning kits to areas impacted by recent hurricanes.
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis, resident bishop of the Virginia Conference, announced a special call on Sept. 9 for every Virginia United Methodist church to collect and assemble UMCOR cleaning kits to meet this need. Each local church was asked to coordinate a cleaning kit drive/assembly event to raise money and assemble the kits. The estimated cost for a cleaning kit is approximately $75.
“We ask all churches in the Virginia Conference to unite as one in this opportunity to share the hope of Jesus Christ through this collection,” Lewis said.
The first week of November, cleaning kits assembled by United Methodist churches in the Virginia Conference arrived at the conference center in Glen Allen, VA. Churches assembled 3,724 kits (estimated value of $297,300) and additional donations of $42,737.99. Volunteers gathered at the conference center on Nov. 10 to shrink wrap and load the collected kits for transportation to Mission Central, the UMCOR supply depot in Mechanicsburg, PA. The kits will be shared with families affected by natural disasters. Financial donations to assemble cleaning kits will continue to be received at https://tinyurl.com/42um42vj.
Detailed information is available on the VAUMC website at https://vaumc.org/2022cleaningkit/.
Special thanks are extended to the members from the following churches for volunteering to load the tractor trailer on Nov. 10: Ramsey Memorial, Lakeside, Westhampton, Shady Grove (Short Pump), Skipwith, Zion, Bon Air, Christ, Bethel (Emmanuel Charge), and Saint Andrews
As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief – UMCOR – assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters – famine, hurricane, war, flood, fire or other events—to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable.
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Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church
10330 Staples Mill Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23060
(804) 521-1100
[email protected]
https://vaumc.org/