We invite you to participate in a special opportunity to extend our love and share our abundance with people in Haiti. As a part of the partnership with Haiti, our conference will collect health, school, infant, sewing, and medical supplies for shipment to Haiti during the first part of 2003. We want to participate in this worthy project, and we ask you for your help.

There are five paths you can take to participate - one of them strictly monetary, the other four hands-on.

To follow the financial path, you can contribute money towards the purchase of Medicine Boxes for Haiti. Each box costs $425 and contains enough over-the-counter and prescription medical supplies to provide nutritional supplements and treat disease or injury for a community of 1000 for up to three months. For further information, please refer to Information About the Medicine Box For Haiti.

To follow the hands-on path, you can assemble any of four types of individual kits of important every-day supplies for needy and grateful children and parents in Haiti. For further information, please refer to General Information About the Individual Kits For Haiti and the specific information about the school kit, health kit, sewing kit, and layette kit.

We target Sunday, March 2, 2003, as the end of the drive. We'll try to collect all money and kits by that time.

If you have questions or need to arrange for delivery or pick up of assembled kits, contact Doug Reinhard or the church office.

Information About the MEDICINE BOX For Haiti

• Each medicine box is packed for shipment by IMA* at a cost of $425. Individual members or groups may contribute money towards the purchase of a complete or a partial box. Contributions should be clearly identified for "Haiti Medicine Box."
• Each Medicine Box contains 18 kinds of items sufficient to respond to needs for nutritional supplements, illnesses and injuries in a population of 1000 for a period of about three months. These basic medicines and medical supplies are needed for day-to-day treatment of the common ailments that plague babies and their mothers, children, the aged, and adults of all ages.
• Medicine Boxes will be sent to hospitals and clinics in Haiti for community health programs and medical emergencies. The need in this extremely impoverished country is great.

  *IMA (Interchurch Medical Assistance) is a nonprofit organization owned by 12 American relief and development organizations. Most of the members are Protestant churches, including The United Methodist Church.

General Information About the Individual Kits For Haiti

• All items in the kit must be new.
• The descriptions of the items must be followed exactly. Avoid any tendency to "enhance" a kit. This will ensure that all kit recipients get essentially the same items and feel equitably treated. (If an item simply is not available in the size mentioned, do the best you can.)
• The kits will be placed in plastic tubs for shipment, and each tub may contain only one type of kit. Therefore, kits of one type should be kept together.
• Approximate costs were determined in October, 2002.

Information About the Individual SCHOOL KIT For Haiti

Items:
__ 1 pair blunt-end scissors
__ 2 pads of 8½" x 11" ruled paper
__ 1 30-centimeter ruler
__ 1 hand-held pencil sharpener
__ 6 unsharpened wooden pencils with erasers
__ 1 eraser, 2½"
__ 12 sheets of construction paper, assorted colors
__ 1 box of 8 crayons
__ 1 cloth bag with handles, 12" x 14"

Instructions: Prepare the bag and place the other items in it.

Approximate cost per kit: less than $13.

Information About the Individual HEALTH KIT For Haiti

Items:
__ 1 hand towel
__ 1 washcloth
__ 1 comb
__ 1 metal nail file or fingernail clippers
__ 1 bath-size (5 oz. or more) bar of soap in its original wrapper
__ 1 toothbrush in its original wrapper
__ 1 tube of toothpaste (4.5 oz. or more)
__ 6 adhesive bandages (such as Band-Aids)
__ 1 zip closure plastic bag, gallon size, as a closure

Instructions: Wrap the smaller items in the hand towel, tie with string and seal in the plastic bag.

Approximate cost per kit: less than $15.

Information About the Individual SEWING KIT For Haiti

Items:
__ 3 yards of cotton or cotton-blend solid color or print fabric
(There must be 3 yards of uncut fabric; otherwise, the kit is unusable. Methodist school uniforms are medium yellow for boy's shirts and for girl's dresses. This color is desirable, because kits' recipients can use it to sew uniforms. The photo at the top of this page shows boys wearing these shirts.)
__ 1 pair sewing scissors
__ 1 package of needles
__ 1 spool of matching thread
__ 6 matching buttons

Instructions: Wrap the sewing notions in the fabric and tie it with a piece of cloth.

Approximate cost per kit: less than $18.

Information About the Individual LAYETTE KIT For Haiti

Items:
__6 cloth diapers
__2 infant shirts
__2 baby wash cloths
__2 infant gowns
__2 diaper pins
__1 infant sweater
__2 receiving blankets

Instructions: Bundle the other items inside one of the blankets and secure with the diaper pins.

Approximate cost per kit: less than $38.

Note: The greatest need is kits for babies 3 months old or less, but kits for any babies one year or less are acceptable.