Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Bucks for Buckets - replenishing the supplies

We've watched the news on the flooding of homes in Louisiana.   The Cleaning Buckets are flying off the shelves at the UMCOR centers.  What can we do?
Bishop Mike Coyner has indicated the thing is to pray for the families and relief workers and the second thing is to send money.    We hear about the cleaning buckets and all the health kits from our teams serving at Sager Brown and Midwest Mission Distribution Center.  Right now nearly all of the buckets have been sent out.  Volunteers at both of those places are working hard to get replacements packed up. 
Our mission team suggests that the best way we can respond is to send the dollars we would normally spend on contents for the buckets.  This way we save the cost of transportation to an UMCOR distribution center and know that buckets are being filled with exactly what is listed. 
How much does it cost to fill the bucket? UMCOR says it takes about $65 to purchase all of the items.  
Check out the list below.  
Cleaning Bucket Contents
5-gallon bucket with re-sealable lid
Buckets from fast-food restaurants or bakeries can be used if washed and cleaned;   Do not use buckets that have stored chemicals such as paint or pool cleaner; Advertisements on the outside are acceptable.
Liquid laundry detergent   One 50-oz. or two 25-oz. bottle(s) only.
Liquid household cleaner   1216 oz. liquid cleaner that can be mixed with water;
                                                No spray cleaners.
Dish soap    1628 oz. bottle any brand.
1 can air freshener          Aerosol or pump.
1 insect repellant spray    614 oz. aerosol or spray pump with protective cover.
1 scrub brush   Plastic or wooden handle.
18 cleaning wipes    Handi Wipes or reusable wipes;   No terry cleaning towels; Remove from packaging.
7 sponges     No cellulose sponges due to mold issues; Remove from wrapper.
5 scouring pads   Remove from wrapper;   No stainless steel, Brillo pads, or SOS pads (nothing with soap built in).
50 clothespins
Clothesline   One 100-ft. or two 50-ft. lines; Cotton or plastic.
24-roll heavy-duty trash bags    33 to 45-gallon sizes; Remove from the box.
5 dust masks
2 pairs kitchen dishwashing gloves   Should be durable enough for multiple uses; Remove from packaging.
1 pair work gloves    Cotton with leather palm or all leather.

Cleaning buckets ready to be sent out.  At this time the
section is empty.   We need to help fill it up again. 
As you can see the content list is very specific.   All of the UMCOR distribution centers purchase the items in bulk and fill the buckets using volunteers.  Of course they accept the actual filled bucket however the cost of transportation makes is not the best use of our mission dollars.  These buckets are only used in the US. 

There is a 5 gallon bucket in Fellowship Hall and we'd be happy to accept your monetary donation.  Mid-September our donations will be sent to Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, IL to help them replenish all of the buckets that have been sent from the center due to the recent flooding.  Thanks for your interest in responding to the floods in our country.  

 

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