Do you have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off and need something to do?
Well, the folks over at Bow Mills United Methodist Church could use a hand – or many hands for that fact.
A group of volunteers are attempting to put together 1,000 health kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief that will help people all over the world when disaster strikes. These kits will be shipped to what is known as mission control in Mechanicsville, Pa., for the time being and may eventually make their way to a larger center in Louisiana. It all depends on how soon the kits are needed – which we can all hope is never.
“We have no idea where these kits are going to go,” said retired Rev. John Blackadar, a member of Bow Mills who is organizing the assembly party. “It could be Haiti, it could be Massachusetts.”
The kits include a hand towel, washcloth, comb, toothbrush, bar of soap, nail clippers or file, Band-Aids and $1 for the purchase of toothpaste before being shipped out. All the items have been purchased by Bow Mills, but they need help putting all the kits together, which come in a gallon-sized sealable bag.
“These are replacing kits that have already gone out somewhere,” Blackadar said.
So as you can see, that’s why they need all hands on deck to complete this project in one day. The assembly party begins at 10 a.m. and Blackadar expects it to go well into the afternoon hours. But it will take a lot less time the more people they have to help out.
“There will be something for everyone to do, whether you’re 95 or 5,” Blackadar said. “The more the merrier.”
Thanks to some deals, the kits will cost the church somewhere between $3 and $3.50 (including the $1 for toothpaste) to complete, while it would be more like $5 or $6 if they went to the store and bought everything.
“This is the first time that Bow Mills has attempted an undertaking of this size,” Blackadar said.
But if you’re like us and have to work or just don’t have the time, you can also donate money to the cause by mailing a check made out to BMUMC and marked “Health Kits,” to Bow Mills UMC, 505 South St., Bow N.H., 03304.
“We’re always looking for additional funds because we have to pay to send it there,” Blackadar said.
For more info, call 224-0884 or 219-0921.
