The Mid-Kentucky Presbytery is aiding the PC(USA) Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) program by assembling hygiene kits for use in disaster relief efforts. The effort coincides with Louisville, Kentucky mayor Greg Fischer’s 5th annual Give a Day Week of Service initiative. The 2016 week of service runs April 16-24.
All 53 congregations and new worshipping communities in the Mid-Kentucky Presbytery are encouraged to drop off supplies and/or completed hygiene kits Monday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to noon and 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Strathmoor Presbyterian Church, located on Hawthorne Rd. Items needed for the kits include:
- One-gallon zip lock bags
- Hand towels (16 x 28)
- Wash clothes
- Wide tooth combs
- Soap bars (individually wrapped)
- Toothbrushes (individually wrapped)
- Adhesive bandages
Wide tooth combs and wash clothes are in particular demand at this time. In addition, collection bins have been placed in the Presbyterian Center lobby in Louisville for the past few weeks so PC(USA) national staff can contribute items to the cause.
List of items requested for PDA hygiene kits at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville. —Gregg Brekke
“A few weeks ago, the Disaster Assistance Center at Ferncliff sent every Gift of the Heart kit they had to Shreveport, Louisiana to assist flood survivors. It totaled 41 pallets and included flood buckets, hygiene kits and school kits,” says Cameron Stevens, Associate for Constituent Relations at Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. “We are thrilled about Mid-Kentucky Presbytery's enthusiasm and involvement in this ministry as we prepare for tornado season and, eventually, hurricane season. Their efforts will help Ferncliff rebuild their stock of hygiene kits and enable PDA to help more survivors in the coming months.”
Presbyterians throughout the Mid-Kentucky Presbytery are invited to gather at Strathmoor Presbyterian on Saturday, April 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. to assemble the kits. Their goal is 500 kits.
‘“God has chosen us in Christ for salvation and service’ is one of my favorite hallmarks of Presbyterian theology and the reformed tradition,” says the Rev. John Odom, Presbyter for Community Life for Mid-Kentucky Presbytery. “Salvation and service, faith and works, justification and sanctification are two sides of the same spiritual coin.”
The Give a Day Week of Service is an initiative started by Louisville mayor Greg Fischer, which fosters volunteerism, kindness and compassion from the city’s residents. 2015 projects included donating bikes to the Pedal Power Project, which provided transportation for Louisville refugees fleeing war-torn nations and other calamites, and giving new or gently-used shoes to Water Step, an organization that provides clean drinking water around the world. These are just two examples of the more than 150,000 acts of volunteerism and compassion recorded during the week-long effort.