Category: COVID-19

Categories
COVID-19 Download Tornadoes

Post Tornado Relief Update

After an EF4 tornado leveled the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 24, 2023 it hopscotched across other cities in Sharkey County, plus Carroll, Humphreys, and Monroe counties. The tornado began near Rolling Fork and moved 30 miles northeast through Silver City and traveled into Amory, Mississippi.

            Rolling Fork, MS/ Silver City, MS – Rising Star SDA Church distribution center started the day after the tornado – Saturday, March 25, 2023.

            Amory, MS – West Amory SDA Church distribution center operation started Monday,      March 27, 2023.

            Both disaster operations will continue through July 2023.

Many citizens have expressed their gratitude for what we have been doing in Rolling Fork. They are grateful to see a church that is helping people during their time of need. Many times people have exclaimed, “You all just don’t know how much of a help you all are!” There have also been many who we have prayed with after hearing their stories of loss and the tears that have accompanied. It will take so long to rebuild but we are here for the long haul, the response, recovery and the restoration. We are so grateful for ACS, the surrounding Adventist churches, and other partners and agencies who have assisted us in helping the city of Rolling Fork. – Pastor Shannon Crawford (Rolling Fork, MS – Rising Star)

The clients we are serving are very appreciative of what we are doing here in Amory,       Mississippi. We had one lady who stopped by our distribution site and stated, “I pass by here every day and see how hard you all are working. I would like to pay for lunch for each one of you.” Others have expressed they don’t know what they would have done if we were not here providing the basic supplies that they desperately need. – Lester Armstrong (Amory, MS ACS DR Distribution Manager)

Statistics

Amory, Mississippi ACS Distribution Center
Number of families served: 2,433
Number of volunteers: 397
Number of volunteer hours: 1,545

Rolling Fork, Mississippi/Silver City, Mississippi ACS Distribution Center
Number of families served: 1,782
Number of volunteers: 203
Number of volunteer hours: 974

The value of supplies distributed for both disaster operations: $64,619.00

Categories
COVID-19 Donations Health Partnership

ACS Accepts Face Mask Donations from AdventHealth

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the nation, Adventist Community Services (ACS) Centers have been encouraged to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to volunteers, staff, and community members. Face masks are one of the most essential supplies that are in great demand today.

AdventHealth in Florida recently donated 150,000 face masks to ACS for use in food pantries and other areas serving communities in need. These masks which are from AdventHealth’s donation-eligible stockpiles were distributed to the Florida, Texas, and Greater New York conferences. Each conference received one pallet of 50,000 masks which is valued at $6,000, totaling the retail price of the masks to be $18,000. In addition to the donation, the hospital also took care of all transportation costs. While keeping the primary focus on protecting front-line caregivers, AdventHealth is constantly evaluating the opportunity to help others.

“AdventHealth is blessed to have strong inventory levels that allow us to share these donation-eligible face masks, while ensuring our team members remain protected,” said Monty Jacobs, director of AdventHealth Global Missions. “Understanding that this is a challenging time for many families, we are grateful to Adventist Community Services for the opportunity to help safeguard the volunteers who provide warm meals, clothing and more to those who need it most.”

“We are so grateful to AdventHealth for their generous offer to Adventist Community Services (ACS), and look forward to distributing the Masks to our Food Pantry teams, those working in our Schools and Community Centers. Keeping ACS team members safe while serving is a responsibility we take seriously and this donation was an answer to our prayers,” stated Derrick Lea, disaster response director for North American Division Adventist Community Services.

                         

Categories
COVID-19 Local Conference

Northeastern Conference ACS COVID-19 Efforts

Northeastern Conference ACS has been actively serving their local communities in light of the COVID-19 coronavirus, under the leadership of the conference ACS Director, Pr. Mario Augustave. All of their ACS centers remained open and fully staffed while New York State became the epicenter of the war against the virus. Besides providing free food through soup kitchens and food pantries, they’re also offering free COVID-19 testing for the entire community every Sunday.

They became the first organization to operate a mobile COVID-19 testing in the state, resulting in them being appointed by New York City as the official tester of over 55 homeless shelters. The Conference maintains regular weekly testing of their ACS volunteers who want to get tested. Northeastern Conference ACS is also running a Warming Center for the homeless community in Newhaven, Connecticut. “Our volunteers continue to work hard. From our drivers to our frontline nurses, physicians, food pantries, and cooks who prepare the meals for our senior and homeless communities in the tri-state area,” said Pr. Augustave.

Click here to read more about their food distribution operations during COVID-19.

Categories
COVID-19 Local Conference

ACS Ministries in Montana Respond to COVID-19

Volunteers at the Hot Springs Thrift Store.

On May 27, the ACS Disaster Response team of the Kalispell SDA Church donated PPEs to Kalispell Regional Healthcare Center. Gabriele Miranda-Laub, ACS Director of Montana Conference, assisted by delivering the PPEs which included 1000 masks and 400 gloves to the KRMC Foundation. These supplies were graciously received by Tagan Vine, President of the Foundation. “It was a pleasure to tell him about our organization and our involvement with Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD),” said Gabriele, who was grateful for the opportunity to have played a small part in advocating for our Church and it’s mission.

The Hot Springs ACS Thrift Store has resumed operations after a two-month COVID-19-related shutdown. Situated in the picturesque little town of Hot Springs in Northwest Montana, this traditional thrift store which gives items for free, has been actively serving the local population and surrounding ranching community since 1983. On June 9, Gabriele was able to visit with Dianne Roosma and her team of dedicated volunteers. Dianne has been implementing social distancing in the store and keeping many items outside, weather permitting. As clients enter the store, one of the volunteers will spray their hands with disinfectant and introduce them to the layout, if needed. All the donations are kept outside in the fresh air and sun, if possible, for a couple of days before sorting them out and including them with the merchandise in the store. They were also able to obtain a dozen flood buckets and reusable ACS shopping bags from the Conference, that can be given away with clothing, or cleaning items, depending on their needs. “We’re grateful for this ACS Center and the volunteers that manage it even during challenging times. God is Good!” said Gabriele.

Categories
COVID-19 Food Aid

A Jar of Peanut Butter and A Food Box

The Better Living Center (BLC) in Spokane, Washington, and Portland ACS Center (PACS) in Portland, Oregon, are two of the several ACS centers that are actively serving individuals and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve shared with us stories of how they’re helping those in need. Last week, a man walked into the BLC looking for socks and shirts. He was grateful that the Center had them, but he was more excited about the jar of peanut butter he received. He was so excited that he went to the corner of the asphalt parking area and ate the entire 16 ounces in one sitting. The BLC is thankful for volunteers and generous supporters that allow them to keep their doors open during this pressing time.

Here’s another story that was shared with us by Portland ACS Center (PACS) Director, Laura Pascoe. Laura’s husband had posted something on Facebook recently with a Bible text that mentioned ‘The Harvest’. A guy commented on the post saying that he wished there were more harvest around since food is getting scarce in that area. Realizing that he might be in need of food, Laura’s husband texted her asking her if she could bring one of the food boxes from the Center. She said “Sure!”, and before she left work that day, she put together a box for her husband to take to the man. He looked through it and saw that there was enough onions and potatoes to feed them for months. He shared some with his mom, his daughter, his sister, his friend and her family.

He called Laura’s husband back and expressed his gratitude by saying, “You don’t know the gift that you just gave me. Not only do I have food in my house now, but I was able to go be a blessing to four of my other loved ones because of what you gave me. Thank you so much.” Less than a week later, he tagged both Laura and her husband on Facebook saying to call him. Laura’s husband called him and he said that he’d like to meet him. He had gotten his stimulus check and wanted to donate $240 to them because he was so thankful for what they gave him. “I know that PACS will use it to help people because it’s helped me already. It changed my life,” he said.

Categories
COVID-19 Disaster Response

ACS Disaster Response Update

Adventist Community Services Disaster Response is continuing to support local communities around our Division even during these uncertain and pressing times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been able to bring relief to communities through collaborative efforts with our partner organizations. Currently, we are working with our federal partners, FEMA, to offer face coverings, AAMI Level 3 gowns, and 55-gallon drums of hand sanitizers for our conferences at no cost.

For the past few days, some of our conference ACS DR teams have been preparing for potential disasters in their territory. This past weekend, the Gulf States team made preparations for impending storms. The Arkansas Louisiana Conference prepositioned flood buckets, muck out gear, scoop shovels, kitchen kits, etc. in Hamon, Louisiana. The conference’s ACS Director, Lavida Whitson, was extremely pleased with the preparation and work of her local Hamon ACS Coordinator, Daniel Hoover, who is outfitted to render assistance for the storm that passed through yesterday early morning.

NAD ACS Disaster Response Director, W. Derrick Lea, is also in communication with the Mid-America Union Conference Director, Roger Wade, about some of the protests that are taking place around the country. Minneapolis is responding in such a way as to address the needs of the city by cleaning up debris and, most importantly, looking for ways to render emotional and spiritual care to a hurting community. Les Morrison, Minnesota Conference ACS Director, is leading this effort in Minneapolis.

Categories
COVID-19 Local Conference

Compassion Alaska Program

Arctic Mission Adventure (AMA), a ministry of the Alaska Conference, has been working hard in their villages throughout COVID-19 with the Compassion Alaska program. Volunteers have sewn over 1500 masks that were sent to seven of the villages, along with donated soaps, hand sanitizers, and other supplies to help keep the villages safe and healthy. They have also been blessed to receive a shipment of PPE from NAD ACS to expand ACS and AMA support throughout Alaska.

View this short video below on the Compassion Alaska program.

https://video214.com/play/13lXHsfyCt9Z4wuMdRcVHw/s

Categories
COVID-19 Donations Local Conference

Coca Cola Donates 25,000 N95 Masks to Chesapeake Conference

The Chesapeake Conference received a donation of 25,000 N95 masks from Coca Cola this week. The conference ACS Director, Ignacio Goya, and W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS Disaster Response Director, were present on the scene, along with the Director of Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Strickland. They discussed about the partnership of ACS, Coco Cola, and the State of Maryland before unloading the masks with their support team. The masks will be distributed to community members who are in need of them. Lea stated, “We were pleased to express our gratitude for being able to serve as a resource for those struggling through this challenging time”.

Categories
COVID-19 Food Pantries

ACS Food Pantries Continue Operations

The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not only seeking to care for its own during this COVID-19 crisis, but to be the hands and feet of Jesus and reach out to those around us who are suffering. Through Adventist Community Services (ACS), we are pushing out more than $1.5 million to assist our local churches in providing food to our neighbors through food pantries. ACS is also partnering with other church organizations to do what they can to make a difference. I appreciate our team at our headquarters and those in local fields who are working to make a difference. Together we are stronger!

Bonita Shields, Vice President for Ministries, North American Division

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UPDATE – may 5, 2020

  1. Minnesota Conference has eight ACS food pantries. Minneapolis First Church has been serving their community for over ten years through their food pantry operations and over 20 with clothing. South Saint Paul Hispanic Church which is another active ACS Center has been serving their community for over three years.
  2. Mountain View Conference has three ACS food pantries in West Virginia. The Grace Community Church in Logan is currently putting together food baskets and dropping them off on the porches of needy families. Due to COVID-19, they are somewhat limited like everyone else. When possible they will be opening a feeding facility/homeless shelter with cots, showers, food, Bible studies, job opportunities, and etc. in partnership with the Homeless Coalition of WV. The Frostburg SDA Food Pantry is currently serving 30 families, or 75 to 90 persons with food products. The RHEMA CHRISTIAN CENTER has everything in place to start a new food pantry when quarantine is lifted. The food pantry will be in association with the Friends-R-Fun Clinic and Daycare.
  3. Northern New England Conference has ten ACS food pantries. One of the active ones are White Memorial Food Pantry in Portland, Maine, which is open every Thursday morning and serves about 500 families per month. Many of those served are recent immigrants who are very hard hit by job losses during the shutdown. The food pantry is well known in the community and has a good relationship with the regional food bank and a commercial bakery. Auburn SDA Church’s Food Pantry in Auburn, Maine, is open one day a week providing fruit, produce, rice and beans. They serve a population of particularly limited means, and also deliver food boxes to people with mobility issues.
  4. Potomac Conference has ten ACS food pantries. Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW) serves hundreds of meals and food boxes per week to a large population of the Maryland portion of the conference. This center is sponsored by several regional SDA churches. Petersburg SDA Food Pantry in Virginia is serving pre-packaged boxes and bags of food, hygiene, sanitary supplies, and etc. based on family size. Selected volunteers are assisting seniors and physically-challenged clients by taking their items to their vehicle. This pantry is feeding 75 seniors in the area who have had their weekly meal deliveries canceled. Moreover, they’re delivering daily meals to a “rather large” mobile home community of little-to-no income families.

    The Piney Forest ACS Center normally provides a weekly open day for needy community members to come and register for food, clothing, and other support. During the COVID-19 period, clients must call ahead with their needs. Volunteers purchase, pack, and deliver the required items which are left on the client’s porch to maintain social distancing. Community Praise Church (CPC) partners with two other community organizations—Carpenters Shelter Staff and Residents and Alive Alexandria. CPC, formerly named Community Praise Center, provides lunch meals to homeless, vulnerable, and workers who serve them in the Alexandria area. Beltsville Adventist Community Center (BACC) works closely with local government and community organizations to help those hardest hit economically in Beltsville and the surrounding areas. During the COVID-19 response, pre-packaged meals and purchased food baskets are provided through a curb-side pick-up program in the BACC parking lot.

  5. Guam-Micronesia Mission does not have any formal food pantries. However, they have churches that engage in feeding programs. The Agat SDA Church has been actively operating a food pantry for COVID relief. Additionally, a youth mission trip that was cancelled due to the pandemic distributed food that was donated for the project to needy families. GMM is working with the individual islands to determine the relative needs.
  6. Oklahoma Conference has eight ACS food pantries. Joseph’s Storehouse Food Pantry in Muskogee, and Jay Food Pantry in Jay are two of the active ACS facilities serving communities in the state of Oklahoma.
  7. Wisconsin Conference has five ACS food pantries. The Milwaukee Central SDA Church’s food pantry has opened its doors to anyone in need in the area. They have been helping people who are unemployed with their rent. They also went to the extent of covering hotel expenses for a lady with her child for a few days when they became homeless. The Milwaukee Central Hispanic, Madison Community, and Beloit SDA churches have all been helping their communities with non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, and other needs by whatever means possible.

Update – April 23, 2020

    1. British Columbia Conference has ten ACS food pantries. The Better Living Center’s Courthouse Ministry engages in hot meal programs that helps around 300 court attendees a year. McBride Church has a food hamper and a food bank program, too.
    2. Iowa-Missouri Conference has nine active ACS Centers. The Around Town Mobile Food Pantry serves over 500 people monthly in the Des Moines area. The St. Louis ACS Center, Gallatin ACS and Centralia SDA food pantries are also continuing their operations. Golden Valley SDA Church in Clinton, MO is part of the local food bank network and they have monthly food drop off drive-throughs that serve a large number of people.
    3. ACS Centers in Nevada-Utah, Georgia-Cumberland, and Pennsylvania conferences are currently engaged in drive-through food distribution, as well.
  • Lake Region Conference has 14 ACS food pantries who are doing magnificent work. The Flint ACS Center continues to serve over 200 people a week with food and water. The Capitol City Food Pantry has done exemplary work over the years, serving their community daily from 1 am – 1 pm. They help hundreds every week by distributing food and clothing.
  • Southern California Conference has 31 food pantries which are spread out across five counties. There are so many churches that are giving away free food. The 54th Street Church has been distributing meals for several years now. It is one of several churches that’s located in the heart of South-Central Los Angeles. The other church is the University SDA Church. Both churches minister to hundreds of families every other week. The families in these communities are dependent upon these ministries to keep food on the table, especially now with the COVID-19 and the loss of jobs.

Categories
COVID-19 Local Conference

Showers of Blessings During COVID-19

Serving in metropolitan areas such as New York City where various races, cultures, customs, backgrounds, and beliefs are found can be quite challenging, especially during difficult times such as what we are facing with COVID-19. While this pandemic continues to create challenges and struggles for many in our society, God has allowed the Greater New York Conference Adventist Community Services to serve through their Showers of Blessings Ministry.

The Showers of Blessings Ministry started in January of this year by helping different organizations serve the homeless population in their respective areas. One of them is the Warming Center at the Omega Seventh-day Adventist Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Following safety protocols, this church has managed not only to provide warm meals, but also hygiene methods on a daily basis for up to 70 homeless people in their city.

The Showers of Blessings Ministry also continues to partner with the St. Joseph’s House in New York City in their mission to serve 50+ persons with the facility to take warm showers and provide hygiene kits as this organization provides warm meals, clothing, shelter, and other services in the community. At St Joseph’s House, hygiene methods during COVID-19 have become one of their main priorities to prevent the spread of the virus, along with social distancing.

The Bowery Mission is another organization located in New York City that helps the homeless population in multiple locations throughout the area. Serving up to 100 people per day, the Showers of Blessings Ministry has been helping them promote hygiene and continue social distancing through their mobile showers. Due to COVID-19, many locations are adjusting to new operational protocols. This is most important for the Showers of Blessings Ministry when providing support to other organizations.

“In times like these, people seek hope and what better way to show it then by serving in different ways through Christ’s name. We are reminded that the smallest action of caring and helping others conveys compassion as Christ would have done,” said Pr. Luis Biazotto, ACS Director of the Greater New York Conference.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26