Update • 03.09.10 • 5:35pm - Million Meals for Haiti Drive

Baptist Health is sponsoring a volunteer drive to put together 1 Million self-contained, extended shelf-life meals for delivery to Haiti.  The Health System is underwriting all the costs associated with the project and coordinating a total of 5000 volunteer hours during a period of four days (March 13-16, 2010).  The bulk of these volunteer hours is already being covered by Baptist Health employees and their families.  This is turning out to be a great hands on family event!

At this point we are short about 1100 volunteer hours, but the shifts are filling up steadily.  We are looking for individuals 12 years and above who would be willing to volunteer for one of more shifts of 2 hours during this four day project.

How to register and participate:

The drive will be conducted through a total of 23 two-hour shifts during 4 days (March 13-16) at the Victor E. Clarke Conference Center at SMH.  Volunteers need to be at least 12 years old.  Shifts begin at 8:00 and end at 10:30 p.m. At this point most day shifts are already full.  We are looking to fill evening shifts (5:00 p.m. and later) on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. All food provided by Baptist Health South Florida.  Volunteers needed to assemble and package meal ingredients.

Dates: March 13-16, 2010
Shifts: Multiple 2 hour shifts at intervals throughout the day (greater need is for evening shifts)
Location: Victor E. Clarke Conference Center at South Miami Hospital

For shift information and registration please call:
Pastoral Care Services at Baptist Hospital of Miami 786-596-6577 or at South Miami Hospital 786-662-5392. To register volunteers will need to provide the names of all household participants and a valid email address for confirmation.  Community benefit hours verification available upon request.

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• Join us & our families in praying for Haiti for 28 days in February.
Click here for the more info & to download the prayer guide.
• We have collected 18,659 lbs of food, medicine & supplies so far!  We’ve also raised approximately $12,223. GIVE ONLINE Thank you to all of you who have given!  If you have a story to share, we want to hear it - tell us about it here.
• We will continue to collect during normal office hours (M-F 8:30a-5p) & worship hours ( 8:30a-1:30p, 5:30p-7:30p) at UBC’s main office.
• We specifically need more: Bottled Water, Tylenol, Advil, Canned Meats/Fruits/Vegetables & Baby Formula (all cans with pop tops please)

We have spoken to both of our Mission’s Partners: Mission to Haiti and Food for the Poor. Mission to Haiti has a medical team on the ground. They are all well, but their compound is being overrun with people needing assistance. Food for the Poor is working to look at food distribution. The United States Military is sending assistance including Hospital Ships.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Please continue to pray. We know of at least three churches that had teams there and have heard from them, but have also heard of some churches that have teams there that haven’t heard from their people. It is a very serious situation on the ground.

2. GIVE ONLINE You may desire to make a special donation above and beyond your tithe to our disaster relief fund for medicine, food, supplies and shipping costs. Please remember that a portion of your tithes to UBC ministry budget always goes to missions, but as you desire to give over and above please make your check out to UBC and mark it “Disaster Relief” or click on the button above.

3. Our mission’s committee has met with our partner, Food for the Poor, and has created the following list of items that are in critical need.

DONATION LIST

FOOD
All food items must be:
• at least 4 months before expiration date
• individual portions
• pop-top cans (can openers may not be available)
• ready to eat items
• non-perishable
Canned meats, Canned fish, Canned milk, Water, nutritional drinks,

BASIC NEEDS
blankets, buckets, coolers, rope, tarps, flashlights & batteries, soap, toiletries, water treatment purification tablets

MEDICAL SUPPLIES
alcohol wipes, ice/hot packs (large & small), scissors, first-aid kits, band-aids, bandages (all types), calamine lotion, cots (infant, small & large), feminine hygiene products, gauze (4×4’s), hygiene kits (towel, toothpaste, comb, bath soap), latex gloves (small, medium, large), hydrogen peroxide, lamps (portable)

ESSENTIAL MEDICATIONS
Antibacterials (hydro 1%, neosporin, betadine) analgesics, ibuprofen, ibuprofen suspension, acetaminophen, acetaminophen suspension, benadryl, pedialyte, pediasure, vitamins (men’s, women’s, prenatal & children’s, zantac 75.

We will not be able to accept any items that are not on the above list, because we will be unable to ship them. Please do not bring: rice, beans, (there is no electricity so they cannot cook), baby food jars, breakable containers, sheets, towels, clothes, toys, shoes.  Thank you.