We’ve set up a special donation page for #GivingTuesdayNOW. The donations you give towards this special day will be used for the stuff nobody likes to think about – but is necessary to keep an organization running: That’s right… Overhead (electricity, printer paper, phone bills, etc.)
An F-4 tornado hit the rural area of Moss, Mississippi at 190 mph and has been tracked as the widest storm ever recorded in the state, spreading nearly 2 miles wide, and barreling through 91 miles before dissipating. This massive twister left 212 homes in Moss totally destroyed, and 249 with severe damage.
In full transparency, this week we planned to unveil a new resource to our community: a free will-writing tool. Amidst recent events, we considered pulling the launch of this resource, which we were worried would be odd or uncomfortable to share during an international health crisis.
It seems, on many levels, our world has been turned upside down. Many things we had taken for granted are now uncertain. And, our daily routines are no more. That has certainly been the case for me and our Gleaning For The World team. Yet, through it all, we stand firm and committed to making a real and lasting difference in these days of turmoil.
While multiple cities are essentially locked down in China, federal health authorities in the United States are expecting a sustained transmission of the virus and are calling for businesses, schools and communities to brace themselves and plan for potential outbreaks. As one health expert made clear, “The question isn’t if the virus will expand in the US, the question is when…and the disruption to everyday life might be severe.”
Devastating stories of residents still searching for loved ones, stories about the 25 victims, children and adults, who have died as a result of this storm, and the stories of those who have lived through it break my heart. As you can imagine, they’ve just experienced one of the most traumatic events a person can go through.
Normally, we park our big truck in front of Sam’s Club whenever disaster strikes, and we ask for help from the public. We ask our supporters to share love with those in need. That’s why we chose Sam’s Club as our location to give back to as many people as we can this Valentine’s Day.
when disaster strikes, our first step is to find a distribution partner— that is, a like-minded partner who will receive and distribute the items we ship—in the area affected by the storm. We have partners all over the world through our network, but it takes time to find someone in the right location (especially in an area we have not worked before) to help victims of each disaster.
It’s true in business, it’s true at church, and it’s true in the nonprofit world! For us, each January is filled with goal setting activities – staff discussions around our strengths and weaknesses, evaluating our team’s past performance, identifying areas for improvement – all for the purpose of setting and successfully reaching our goals in the new year.
It’s January – for many, that means a time for renewal, rejuvenation … and resolutions. A fresh start! Do you make resolutions each year? I’d like to ask you to consider making another resolution this January… a monthly partnership with Gleaning. Proverbs 29:18 says, “where there is no vision, the people perish…” We have a vision of growth in 2020, and we need your help!
