At this year’s Lutheran World Relief CARE-VAN ingathering the Mid-South District once again had seven drop sites collecting handmade quilts, school kits, personal care kits, baby care kits, fabric kits and boxes of soap the weekend of Nov. 1st – 2nd. Our drop sites included Christus Victor, Knoxville, TN.; Cross of Christ, Chattanooga, TN.; Our Savior, Nashville, TN.; Immanuel, Memphis, TN.; First, Fort Smith, AR.; Grace, Little Rock, AR.; and Salem, Springdale, AR.
At the time of this report (11/25/2019), the top three quilt-producing congregations that dropped off their work at an LWR CARE-VAN ingathering site were St. Paul Lutheran Church, Gillett, AR (415 quilts), Zion Lutheran Church, Alexander, AR (192 quilts), and First Lutheran, Chattanooga, TN (106 quilts). A total of 2,058 quilts (270 were from several area ELCA congregations) were donated.
To date we had 45 congregations participate (3 ELCA), collecting over $4,139 for shipping costs. We also collected 1,329 personal care kits, 171 fabric kits, 823 school kits, 104 baby care kits, 16 fleece blankets and 12 boxes of soap. The CARE-VAN trailers were loaded up with 626 boxes (weighing approximately 12,050 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.
Thank you to all who participated in this year’s annual LWR CARE-VAN drive!
Julie Tyler
Mid-South District CARE-VAN Coordinator
