Food relief
As part of a $1.5 million initiative of the North American Division, the Iowa-Missouri Conference was recently awarded a $25,000 grant for local food relief efforts in the wake of food shortages and the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The funds were quickly distributed to food pantries throughout the conference, including Around Town Mobile Food Pantry in Des Moines, Iowa; the St. Louis Adventist Community Services Center; and other Adventist food pantries in places like Belton, Gallatin, and Fredericktown, Missouri. These ministries provide food to thousands of food-insecure families each month.
“We praise God in Christ for the funds made available to assist this ministry, especially in such difficult and uncertain times,” said Kris Hicks, pastor of the Fredericktown Church.
The sentiment is shared by other volunteers and church leaders, many of whom say that their local ministries may not have been able to continue without these funds.
Personal protective equipment
As the coronavirus spread throughout the Kansas City area, the Mid-America Regional Council for the bistate Kansas City region reached out to the Missouri ACS team for help in securing additional personal protective equipment (PPE).
Thanks to a collaborative effort between FEMA; ACS; AdventHealth; the North American Division; the Mid-America Union; the Iowa-Missouri, Kansas-Nebraska, and Central States conferences; and local churches in the Kansas City area, supplies have been secured that will be used in Kansas City and other areas of the conference that have need for additional PPE.So far (as of June 1):
- $10,000 in masks have been purchased
- 3,600 masks have been distributed in Kansas City
- 58,000 pairs of gloves have been donated, 12,000 of which are being set aside for the Mid-America Regional Council
- 125,000 cloth masks are being distributed throughout the conference
Because the need for these vital supplies remains so high, this relief effort will continue throughout the summer. Support this and other ACS initiatives in Iowa and Missouri at imsda.org/acsdr.
Rachel Ashworth is a member of Peace Point Chapel in Sikeston, Missouri, and a blogger for OUTLOOK magazine.
