Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Church World Service Bring Blankets of Hope to Cushion Body and Soul

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, August 1, 2019

In June, 2018 the major news networks arrived in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, turning their cameras to the walkways of the international bridges over the Rio Grande, and the effects of the Zero Tolerance policy on asylum-seeking families at the border was revealed to the country and the world. Observant television viewers and readers of news reports could …

CWS School Kits, Hygiene Kits and Blankets bring comfort to Northeast Tennessee

News & Updates | Posted Friday, August 31, 2018

Nestled along the Appalachian Mountains, the Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency is in the heart of poverty-ridden America. UETHDA serves Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties. Teams in each of the agency’s nine Neighborhood Service Centers work daily to help clients overcome the daily hardships that they face. Specifically, they offer assistance that helps people …

CWS Kits and Blankets help wildfire victims recover in California

News & Updates | Posted Friday, August 31, 2018

The residents of southern California are accustomed to wildfires during the summer.  But this summer was different. The fires were more intense. A record-setting heat wave, coupled with moderate winds, sparked brush fires across southern California that destroyed homes and forced thousands to evacuate. Not knowing whether their homes would still be standing, hundreds of residents fled the West Willows …

CWS Blankets help Kansas City residents brave the cold

News & Updates | Posted Saturday, February 24, 2018

Huddled by a small fire under an overpass, Dawn ate her warm meal and confessed, “I’d never camped a day in my life before being out here.” She is new to homelessness and credits her friend Matthew for helping her acclimate to her new situation. She told us that she once served in Operation Desert Storm, raised a family and …

CWS Blankets provide warmth on cool San Diego nights

News & Updates | Posted Friday, December 1, 2017

California may look like a picture-perfect place in television and movies, but skyrocketing rents and lack of affordable housing has resulted in a housing crisis in many urban areas. In San Diego, Community Christian Services Agency provides services for needy families and individuals experiencing homelessness who take refuge in the canyons of Pacific Beach. Though small, CCSA provides a variety …

Bringing hope through blankets in eastern Kentucky

News & Updates | Posted Friday, December 1, 2017

Kentucky may be in the south, but that doesn’t prevent the state from experiencing extreme bouts of cold in the winter, particularly in the evenings when it frequently drops below freezing. This is particularly difficult for those who are experiencing homelessness. WestCare Kentucky Emergency Shelter in Pikeville is described by director Anna Coleman as Pikeville’s “…best kept secret” since many …

CWS Kits and Blankets Reach Flooded Households in Rural Kentucky

News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, November 5, 2014

“We never needed help before.  We didn’t know where to turn for help.” Volunteers heard that a lot recently as they delivered CWS Kits and Blankets to survivors of destructive flooding in hard-to-reach rural areas of Floyd County, Ky. Many residents said they had never been flooded before heavy rains in late summer caused flash flooding and overflowing creeks.  Many …

Blankets Matter

News & Updates | Posted Friday, March 7, 2014

I’m sitting here in my warm office in Ohio having survived two or three polar vortexes and several massive dumpings of snow.  One thought seems to continually enter my head: What are the people who call the outside home doing this winter? And then a second question: What am I doing for them? There are many instances in our lives …

CWS Buckets, Blankets and Kits Reach Flood Survivors in Colorado

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, September 26, 2013

In areas of Colorado ravaged by floods earlier this month, CWS Emergency Clean Up Buckets, Blankets and Kits are getting into the hands of survivors. In Longmont, Colo. — population 88,000 — some 7,000 houses were affected, said the Rev. Rick King, Senior Minister of the United Church of Christ, Longmont.  His congregation’s disaster response team is assisting local households …

CWS Kits and Blankets Aid Disaster-battered Kentucky County

News & Updates | Posted Thursday, August 22, 2013

CWS Kits and Blankets are bringing practical comfort to people in Floyd County, Ky., who are struggling amidst multiple disasters – including flash flooding that overwhelmed schools and homes on August 12. The flooding further battered a county already devastated by 80 percent unemployment due to the collapse of coal mining and still recovering from deadly tornados that swept Eastern …