News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, June 4, 2019
The CWS Kits ministry is one that amazes me every time. I recently became the Congregational Outreach Specialist here at CWS. Every time I work with congregations — whether it’s through our Blankets program, Kits ministry or something else — their generosity and compassion warm my heart. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how the congregations who have volunteered to become …
News & Updates | Posted Thursday, May 30, 2019
UPDATE: May 30 As of May 30, shipments have included 1,560 CWS Hygiene Kits, 1,718 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets, 150 CWS Blankets and 90 CWS School Kits. Despite low stock levels of some types of kits, we plan to continue to respond to requests for supplies in response to the tornadoes and flooding. Depending on fund availability, CWS assistance may …
News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2019
As I sit in the middle of the cold winter months, I often think about our neighbors that are experiencing the cold differently than my family and me. I think about our neighbors who can’t afford to keep their furnace set at 72 degrees all day long; our neighbors who spend cold winter nights in their car because they don’t …
News & Updates | Posted Friday, December 14, 2018
I was recently in a seminary on the Texas-Mexico border that had been converted into a makeshift dining room. Sitting there were 70 or so asylum-seekers—mothers and babies, teenagers, fathers—recently released from detention. They had traveled hundreds of miles from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in search of a safe life in the United States. The shelter director walked into …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, October 29, 2018
October 29, 2018 Appeal code: 628H – 2018 U.S. Hurricane Appeal This appeal serves as an update to the September 20 Hurricane Florence Appeal Situation Hurricane Florence slammed into the North Carolina coast on September 14, bringing with it historic leveling of rain. Just a few weeks later on October 10, Hurricane Michael struck the Florida panhandle with vicious force and then brought even more rain …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, October 8, 2018
Situation A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Friday, September 28. The quake, and the resulting 10-foot tsunami waves, leveled buildings and brought destruction to the city of Palu (pop. 335,000) and surrounding areas. As of October 8, the death toll has reached 1,948 people, with hundreds more missing. Thousands have been injured. Around 74,000 people have been displaced, …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, October 1, 2018
SITUATION A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Friday night. The quake, and the resulting tsunami with waves up to about 10 feet high, leveled buildings and brought destruction to the city of Palu and surrounding areas. As of Tuesday evening local time, the death toll has reached 1,234 people, with hundreds more missing. Thousands have been injured, at …
News & Updates | Posted Thursday, September 20, 2018
Emergency Appeal: Hurricane Florence Appeal code: 628H – 2018 U.S. Hurricane Appeal Situation Hurricane Florence slammed into the North Carolina coast on September 14. The slow-moving storm drenched North and South Carolina with record-breaking rainfall. CNN reports that the storm has been responsible for 36 deaths so far, and thousands remain in shelters. Deadly flooding continues to affect the region, hampering relief efforts as …
News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Appeal code: 628H – 2018 U.S. Hurricane Appeal SITUATION Hurricane Florence slammed into North and South Carolina late last week, bringing with it record-breaking rainfall and extreme winds. “The storm is blamed for at least 23 deaths, and life-threatening floods are expected to continue all this week, the National Weather Service says,” according to NPR. Thousands of people took refuge in emergency shelters, …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, August 6, 2018
CWS Liaising with Partners and Standing By to Respond When a second earthquake within a week struck Lombok, Indonesia yesterday, 5th August 2018, CWS staff were immediately in touch with ACT Alliance colleagues from YAKKUM Emergency Unit and Pelkesi, both ACT Alliance members, which are already responding to the less damaging July 29th quake and are ready to respond to …