An alternative Christmas gift that honors family and friends by feeding the hungry

National Advance hunger-relief ministry
unveils its 2008 alternative Christmas card

Increasingly, people are searching for meaningful, alternative ways to share the celebration of the birth of Christ with their family and friends. The chaos that has become Christmas in the secular world is so “loud” it nearly drowns out the true meaning of this holy season.

Helping to provide food for some of the 35 million Americans who don’t get enough to eat is a perfect way to put Christ back into Christmas, since it is He who commands us to feed “the least of these.” And in today’s climate of financial uncertainty, the need is even greater for those who are forced to rely on critical service agencies to feed their families.

The Society of St. Andrew, a national hunger relief ministry and Advance #801600, offers an alternative way to share the true meaning of Christmas, not just with people you know, but with thousands you will never meet but whom you can help feed. For a minimum donation of $12 per card, you can send their custom-designed alternative Christmas card to those you wish to honor with a donation to feed the hungry, or you can have the Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) send the cards for you.

This year’s card is the fourteenth in a series designed exclusively for SoSA by Virginia liturgical artist Annis McCabe. The 7 inch by 5 inch card features original full color artwork both inside and outside plus an inspirational message. This one-of-a-kind card announces your generous gift to feed the hungry in the name of your honorees; you will also receive the card as a thank you and confirmation of your order.

The Society of St. Andrew saves perfectly good, nutritious, excess fresh produce that will go to waste for various marketing reasons and gets it distributed to service agencies across the country that feed the hungry, at no cost to the agencies or those they feed. The $12 minimum gift donation for each card will provide about 800 servings of nourishing food to the hungry through SoSA’s fresh food salvage programs: Gleaning Network, Potato & Produce Project, Harvest of Hope, and Hunger Relief Advocate Initiative.

“The extraordinary popularity of this program continues to grow,” said Carol Breitinger, communications director for the Society of St. Andrew, “providing more and more servings of fresh food to the hungry each year. Last year over $105,000 was raised, providing more than six million servings of food nationwide! This year the need is even greater.

“This alternative Christmas card, which has a wonderfully meaningful message presented through a moving poem and illustrative art, is the perfect gift for someone who has everything,” offered Breitinger. “It’s a super stocking stuffer, too. No other gift can do so much for so many with so little! And you can finish your gift shopping and greeting card lists in just a few minutes.”

The Society of St. Andrew’s Christmas Gift Donation Cards can be ordered by mail, phone, fax, or online: 800-333-4597; fax at 434-299-5949; email to card@endhunger.org; online at www.endhunger.org/card. To guarantee delivery by Christmas please order by December 1. SoSA will make every effort to expedite late order.

SoSA also has available order flier and church bulletin insert masters, both in color and B&W. Call or email Carol Breitinger at 800-333-4597 or sosapr@endhunger.org to receive these digital files.

For more information about the Society of St. Andrew and its hunger-relief ministry or Christmas Gift Donation Cards call 800-333-4597, email sosausa@endhunger.org or go to SoSA’s website at www.endhunger.org.

“They Know What They’re Doin’!”

By Susan J. Meister, Domestic Disaster Response Correspondent

Homeowner Mr. Woodson chills gar fish fillets before cooking for the volunteer team working on his Port Arthur home. Photo by Susan J. Meister

Mr. Woodson and his friend were cleaning gar fish in the back yard so that he could prepare lunch for the three volunteers working on his Port Arthur home.

“They do good work,” he grinned. “They know what they’re doin’!”

Volunteers Jack Aulick, Roger Sweny and Bryan Garrison were three of a team of 47 persons from Lakewood United Methodist Church, Houston, scheduled to work on several houses in the Texas community still awaiting repair after Hurricane Rita.

“It’s a pretty typical repair job,” Aulick said. “We’ve rewired, fixed the utility room, put carpet in, installed gutters, and repaired the bathrooms. The second bath hasn’t worked since Rita.” The front and side porches were rebuilt by earlier volunteer teams.

Rita, Now Ike
Nathan Cain, construction supervisor for Rita Recovery in Port Arthur, explained that Mr. Woodson’s house is one of about 60 still needing repair from the 2005 hurricane. “And now, we’re taking applications from Ike,” he sighed.

Hurricane Ike stormed through southeast Texas on September 13, almost three years after Rita did extensive damage. Just down the street from Mr. Woodson’s home, several blue tarped roofs were visible.

But Cain did have some positive news. “Alan (Miller) and I checked on all our houses after Ike,” he said. “All the Rita roofs we installed held up!” Miller, the former construction supervisor in the area, is now working to set up long-term construction in Galveston County.

Cain is taking a year off between undergraduate school and medical school to work with the Rita Recovery (now Disaster Recovery) team. He used to work on roofing for a summer job. His mother traveled to the area from Ohio on a mission team and urged him to come to the area to apply for an internship. Now full-time, Cain stays with volunteer teams at the satellite office at St. John’s UMC, Port Arthur.

“Pictures – even video – can’t describe what it’s like,” Thompson said.

Volunteers Give God the Glory
Aulick, retired from the oil industry, was on his fourth trip to the area. Sweny is a home inspector and Garrison works in information technology. “Don’t give us any credit,” he smiled. “Give God the glory.”

Angela Baker reports that teams are scheduled through August 2009 to do Rita Recovery. With the addition of Ike recovery, even more money, materials and volunteers are needed.

To learn more about disaster recovery in Texas and to volunteer go to the web sites of the Texas Annual Conference or Disaster Recovery (formerly “Rita Recovery”). You can help with the recovery from the 2008 Hurricanes with a donation to Advance No. 3019695, online or by check to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087.

Spring break of hope: An alternative spring break

“Spring Break” is that greatly anticipated time in spring semester when college students flock to beaches, vacation spots, or home for a week of relaxation and putting down the books. Recently, though, there has been a movement among these young folks to do something more meaningful on their spring breaks. The phenomenon of an alternative spring break has students trading beach towels for hammers, paintbrushes, and a servant’s spirit. The idea is to spend the week doing volunteer work instead of vacationing. The result is a much more fulfilling week and an experience that stays with them for the rest of their lives.

Prompted by events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, students have been rising up to answer the call for help and seeking to make a difference. With this growing trend in mind, the Society of St. Andrew’s mission outreach program, Harvest of Hope, is going on “Spring Break!” The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) feeds our nation’s hungry with excess produce gleaned by volunteers from fields and orchards and distributed to critical feeding agencies. Using this concept, the Harvest of Hope Alternative Spring Break will be an opportunity for college students to use their time off to learn about hunger and actually do something about it, as well.

“I love the idea,” said Zach Baker, a former Harvest of Hope summer intern who has already signed up for the Harvest of Hope Alternative Spring Break. “This gives college kids, especially kids like me who aren’t big fans of the party scene, a chance to do something for spring break that’s fun and a good way to worship God. I think it will be a wonderful trip.”

The Harvest of Hope Alternative Spring Break will be held March 8-14, 2009 in Jacksonville, FL. The location was chosen for its appeal as a popular spring break location. Also, in addition to the weather being warm and comfortable, gleaning opportunities are plentiful there that time of year. The Urban Mission Experience, whose goal is to make a positive impact on the lives of the homeless and low-income in Jacksonville, will host the spring breakers. The Urban Mission Experience fulfills its mission by making opportunities for youth and adults to put their faith into action by serving local agencies with volunteer support. They will provide the dorm-style facilities and some of the meals. This beautiful location is also conveniently situated close to three popular beaches, which students will have the opportunity to take advantage of at the end of the week.

Andrew Hudgins, who has been doing Harvest of Hope events for five years and has attended several other alternative spring break mission trips, said of those experiences, “It’s so much fun! You are doing good and at the same time getting so much out of it – so much more than if you were just watching TV the whole week of spring break.”

The week will be similar to other week-long Harvest of Hope events with some slight changes to programming: Participants should arrive on Sunday for dinner, Monday-Thursday will be gleaning days in local orchards and farm fields, and Friday will be a “fun day” spent on the beach. When they are not lending their hands to gleaning food for the hungry, these college students will be studying about hunger and poverty issues in their neighborhoods, this country, and the world. A more in-depth conversation about hunger issues can be expected and fueled through these socially conscious students.

Offering a Harvest of Hope Alternative Spring Break to college students will harness their energy and eagerness to help while also providing them a venue for spiritual renewal. Brandon Robbins, who will be the worship leader for the event and is the youth leader at Chester UMC in Virginia, said he hopes that as a result of this experience the participants will “have a more deeply embedded passion to end hunger; understanding how God is working through this (SoSA) ministry and how it’s affecting the lives of people.”

Alternative spring breaks are now offered by colleges and universities through student outreach organizations and campus ministries, through local civic organizations and non-profits.

Alternative spring breaks can involve international travel, advocacy, evangelism, community building, or strictly hands on labor. The value of an alternative spring break reaches far beyond the week-long experience. When students go back to their campuses they take with them a new perspective on social issues and a rooted interest in service; they realize the importance of social action at home, which can be life changing.

Join the Society of St. Andrew’s Harvest of Hope Alternative Spring Break! All students whose spring break coincides with this trip are encouraged to join in on the fun. Participants will be responsible for their own travel to the facility. The deadline for applying and making a deposit to reserve a spot is January 30, 2009. However, space will be limited so applications should be sent as soon as possible. Tuition is $150/person; scholarships are available as needed. Contact Sarah Nagy at the Society of St. Andrew with any questions or for more information – email her at sosahoh@endhunger.org, or all 800-333-4597.