UMCOR needs funds for Middle East crisis

By Elliott Wright*

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief has issued an urgent appeal for funds to assist civilians caught in the renewed fighting in the Middle East.

"Our funds for Middle East emergencies are painfully low," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's chief executive, on July 25. "As Christians and as a denomination, we need to equip ourselves to do our part in responding to humanitarian needs in this tragic situation."

Contributions should go to the Middle East Emergency Fund, No.601740, of the Advance for Christ and His Church, the United Methodist designated mission giving fund.

This general fund allows UMCOR to respond to civilian needs on any front in the confrontation, Dirdak said.

"We are concerned for all civilians in this ongoing crisis," he explained. "We have a number of options for channeling assistance into Lebanon, Gaza and Israel. We are deeply involved in the dialogue among humanitarian groups as to how to best respond to the emergency.

"We can do very little unless the United Methodist people are, yet again, willing to dig deep into their pockets for dollars that can translate prayers into action," he said.

A small contribution of $5,000 has been sent from general UMCOR funds for emergency aid in Lebanon. Another $20,000 grant is in the emergency approval process.

UMCOR has years of experience in working with refugees in the Middle East and in assisting families and individuals affected by periodic wars there. It has several partners with which it can work in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. In Israel, the agency relies on United Methodist missionaries to identify clinics and other facilities serving those in greatest need.

"The humanitarian aid of the United Methodist Church knows no political or national boundaries," Dirdak said. "In recent weeks, we have been concerned with families in Gaza affected by Israel bombing. Now we are also concerned about civilians in Lebanon and about civilians in Israel whose lives are being torn apart by the military action."

The latest round of violence began two weeks ago with the abductions of two Israeli soldiers and the killings of eight others by the Hezbollah militant group, operating out of Lebanon. Israel responded with an attack on southern Lebanon. The violence on both sides has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Lebanese and Israeli civilians while displacing more than a half-million Lebanese, according to news reports.

Checks may be written to UMCOR, designated for "Middle East Emergency Fund," Advance No. 601740, and placed in church collection plates or mailed directly to: UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Credit-card donations may be made by calling (800) 554-8583. Online donations can be made at
http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/donate.cfm?code=601740&id=30. One hundred percent of the contribution goes to the Advance ministry indicated.

*Wright is the information officer for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Society of St. Andrew has passed the 500 million pounds milestone in total amount of food saved and distributed to the hungry

Society of St. Andrew Statistics and Talking Points

For Period: January 1 – June 30, 2006

STATISTICS
Total Pounds Saved: 12,134,839
Total Gleaning Network Pounds: 7,134,839
Total Potato Project Pounds: 5,000,000
Total Servings Provided: 36,404,517 (one pound of produce equals approx. 3 servings)
# Gleaning & Potato Project Events: 1,117
# Volunteers: 13,272
# Harvest of Hope Events: 11 events scheduled (1 already successfully conducted)
Historical total lbs. / servings saved
& distributed by SoSA 1983 to date: 509.5 Million pounds / 1.53 Billion servings
Admin. & Fundraising Overhead: 6.8% (93.2¢ of every dollar provides food for the hungry)
Cost per lb. of food saved: About 6¢
Cost per serving provided: About 2¢

HIGHLIGHTS

Ø SoSA PASSED THE 500 MILLION POUNDS MILESTONE! As of the end of June, SoSA’s historical total of pounds saved/distributed to the hungry is 509,529,271 — 1.528 BILLION servings!

Ø SoSA gets grant to open full-time operation in southern Georgia – The St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation in St. Marys, GA, has awarded SoSA a $135,000 grant to establish and operate a full-time regional Gleaning Network office in the agriculture-rich southern half of the state. SoSA’s goal is to have it operational by mid-summer. The grant will cover the expense of getting the office set up and running for the first full year and providing over one million servings of nutritious food to the area’s hungry people. “This new operation will continue to make a strong, positive impact for many years to come,” said Mike Waldmann, SoSA’s Director of Operations. “Since our programs provide more bang for the buck, this initiative will benefit hungry people throughout the state, as well.” A typical regional gleaning office should yield dramatic results each year, including three million pounds of fresh produce saved and distributed to agencies, and growing opportunities for churches and individuals across Georgia to become more involved in feeding hungry people.

Ø Vacation Bible School mission project – It’s not too late – and oh so easy – to add SoSA’s highly praised VBS Mission Project to Vacation Bible School programs at churches of all sizes. SoSA’s “Heroes Fighting Hunger” coordinates with Cokesbury’s VBS program “Adventures of the Treasure Seekers” but is adaptable to other themed programs, as well. So far, 413 churches have requested the free starter packet. Order your FREE packet with all materials necessary for a successful VBS mission project. Call 800-333-4597 or email sosachurch@endhunger.org.

Ø Fast A Meal In 1 Year (“Fami1y”) to feed the hungry – This joint program of the General Commission on United Methodist Men, the National Association of Conference Presidents-United Methodist Men, and the Society of St. Andrew is designed to raise awareness of domestic hunger issues and to help feed hungry Americans. “Fami1y” encourages every family to select one meal in a year to fast and donate the money saved to the hunger-relief work of the Society of St. Andrew. For more information contact the General Commission on United Methodist Men at 615-620-7268.

Ø SoSA cited on PBS’ “To The Contrary” – On June 11, Senator Elizabeth Dole (NC) was interviewed on the PBS program, “To The Contrary.” She talked about hunger in America and her home state of North Carolina. Senator Dole talked at length about the “wonderful work” the Society of St. Andrew does in saving food from going to waste and getting it to the hungry around the nation. The show’s producers augmented the interview with video footage of SoSA volunteers in the fields gleaning fresh produce and delivering it to agencies.

Ø SoSA is active coast-to-coast, distributing food to all 48 contiguous states. SoSA has 43 Gleaning Network offices in 22 states: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MI, MO, MS, NM, NC, NY, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Current news and information available at www.endhunger.org; click the spinning “News-Press Release.” n