EMMITSBURG ? Eight members of Tom's Creek UMC left for the Dominican Republic Jan. 22 to work in Haitian refugee camps. The Tom's Creek folks will join a larger group of volunteers headed by Westminster UMC member Steve Hull with The Least of These Ministries based in Westminster.
The Rev. Bill Warehime first went to the Haitian refugee camps a year ago. He told his parishioners of 'the overwhelming hunger those people have.'
They decided to do something about that. In lieu of the Christmas cards they give each other, the church members decided to buy rice and beans for the refugees. They raised almost $3,000 'which far exceeded my expectations,' Warehime said.
The volunteers didn't carry the food with them, but took 1,500 gallon Ziploc bags. Once there, they purchased the rice and beans locally, which gave them more for their money, aided the local economy and made traveling easier. They planned to give two filled bags to each refugee in the camp where they work.
Even when food is handed out by an aid agency, Warehime said, the refugees often do not have any containers to carry it in. 'They'll be able to use the plastic bags over and over again,' he said.
UMs team up to help Haitian refugees
EMMITSBURG ? Eight members of Tom's Creek UMC left for the Dominican Republic Jan. 22 to work in Haitian refugee camps. The Tom's Creek folks will join a larger group of volunteers headed by Westminster UMC member Steve Hull with The Least of These Ministries based in Westminster.
The Rev. Bill Warehime first went to the Haitian refugee camps a year ago. He told his parishioners of 'the overwhelming hunger those people have.'
They decided to do something about that. In lieu of the Christmas cards they give each other, the church members decided to buy rice and beans for the refugees. They raised almost $3,000 'which far exceeded my expectations,' Warehime said.
The volunteers didn't carry the food with them, but took 1,500 gallon Ziploc bags. Once there, they purchased the rice and beans locally, which gave them more for their money, aided the local economy and made traveling easier. They planned to give two filled bags to each refugee in the camp where they work.
Even when food is handed out by an aid agency, Warehime said, the refugees often do not have any containers to carry it in. 'They'll be able to use the plastic bags over and over again,' he said.
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