As first responders to the food crisis in West Africa, Alabama Baptists began collecting food to assist with the food depletion in several countries following the Ebola outbreak (visit www.thealabamabaptist.org or see the Oct. 9 issue for the full story).
At press time, a 20-foot container filled with dry goods was scheduled to ship to Liberia by boat Oct. 31. Once in country a Liberian Baptist Convention response team will help distribute the food to those in need. The container was packed Oct. 18.
Churches, children’s missions groups, Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) groups, individuals and businesses donated goods to the Help Liberia Food Drive, according to Candice Lee, marketing director for the WMU Foundation.
The food drive was organized in part by the WMU Foundation; Eddie Gibson, originally from Liberia and pastor of Brewster Road Community Church, Birmingham; and Olu Menjay, president of Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention and vice president of the Baptist World Alliance. Menjay and his family are currently living in Birmingham until it is safe to return to Liberia.
Among the churches that gave were Shades Crest Baptist Church, Hoover; Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, Birmingham; First Baptist Church, Guntersville; Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Hueytown; and Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham. Huffman High School in Birmingham also gave to the food drive as did countless individuals.
More than $12,000 was donated to WMU Foundation’s HEART Fund (Humanitarian Emergency Aid for Rebuilding Tomorrow) to pay for shipping and purchase additional food to send, Lee said. (TAB)
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