Lutheran World Relief in the Mid-South District
L to R: Mike and Monica Witherby, Larry Zehnder, Tony Pessini, Jo Parham, Eunice and Bob Timm
At this year’s Lutheran World Relief CARE-VAN ingathering the Mid-South District had six drop sites where we collected handmade quilts, school kits, personal care kits, baby care kits, and fabric kits. Our drop sites included Grace, Knoxville, TN.; Cross of Christ, Chattanooga, TN.; Ascension, Madison, TN.; Immanuel, Memphis, TN.; First, Fort Smith, AR.; and Zion of Avilla, Alexander, AR.
At the time of this report (11/27/2023), the top three quilt-producing congregations that dropped off their work at an LWR CARE-VAN ingathering site were Zion of Avilla Lutheran Church, Alexander, AR (193 quilts), Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, TN (139 quilts), and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wartburg, TN (133 quilts). At this time, a total of 1,482 quilts have been donated.
To date we had 38 congregations participate, collecting over $6,645 for shipping costs. We also collected 1,694 personal care kits (one congregation donated 344 personal care kits!), 117 fabric kits, 769 school kits, and 225 baby care kits. The CARE-VAN trailers were loaded up with 534 boxes (weighing approximately 10,850 pounds!) of offerings from District congregations for Lutheran World Relief. Way to go Mid-South District!
Many of the congregations’ efforts are coordinated by LWML groups and longstanding quilting groups in the congregations. They participate in this effort to share the love of Christ in a personal way. The tireless efforts of those who share their talents and the generous contributions of many make this a successful ingathering.
The recent closure of Yellow Freight, the shipping contractor for CARE-VAN, created quite a dilemma. The Mid-South District and Lutheran World Relief worked right up to the last minute to secure another shipping contractor. This resulted in fewer drop off locations, which we pray will reduce overall shipping costs.
One of the many blessings of CARE-VAN would have to be the different denominations that come together to provide relief through their talents and hard work. We remain very blessed to be able to coordinate this effort throughout the Mid-South District. Thank you to all who participated in this year’s annual LWR CARE-VAN drive! You touched someone in need!
Julie Tyler
Mid-South District CARE-VAN Coordinator
You must be logged in to post a comment.