Huricane Disaster Relief

Hurricanes Katrina & Rita

Aid Update

Janet Hunt, Director of Community Ministries, can provide detailed information about opportunities to aid persons impacted by the Hurricanes. You may reach her at the church: 972-390-1695

Opportunities to Help

Volunteer Opportunities in Directly Impacted Areas:
A team of Suncreek volunteers just returned from a trip to the New Orleans area. Click here, if you would like more details. We are planning future trips Mission Trips to impacted areas. Contact Janet Hunt for more information.

Bridge of Relief
United Methodist Churches in the McKinney, Allen, and Frisco area have played a very active role in creating a new organization called Bridge of Relief. Click here to view the Bridge of Relief website for information. Financial Gifts to this organization may be made by writing a check to Suncreek UMC with Bridge of Relief in the memo blank.

One way that Bridge of Relief seeks to minister to ongoing needs of these families is through volunteer advocates -- which is a means of linking persons or groups to each family adopted. The responsibility of the advocate is to help a family with things like transportation, job searches, schools, social services, utilities and any other transitional issues the family may have. Advocates will receive an orientation handbook and sign a contract with the newcomers. For more information about this opportunity, please visit http://www.bridgeofrelief.org/shepards.asp.

There is also still an ongoing need for donations for this warehouse, most especially the following items:

Powdered laundry detergent Cleaning supplies (Ajax, 409, Comet, Lysol, etc.)

You may drop off these items in the missions bins in the narthex at any time.

Allen High School

As of September 8, AISD has had about 100 new students enrolled as a result of hurricane Katrina. The College Center has put together backpacks for new students coming to AHS.

The following new items are needed: curling irons, blow dryers, make up, purses, billfolds, belts, combs, brushes, hair gel, etc.

Also gift cards from: Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, JC Penney, Belk’s, Old Navy, Payless, Famous Footwear, any restaurants (McDonald’s, Chili’s, etc), grocery stores, etc. are needed.

A collection point is being established at the High School in the College Center for the above items.

The donations delivered to the High School will be distributed to the new students at the High School first, and excess items will be taken to ACO for distribution.

Monetary Donations
Persons may make donations to relief efforts by writing checks to Suncreek UMC and placing the word Hurricane on the for line. Funds will be sent through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) All administrative fees for the UMCOR are funded by other gifts. Therefore, 100% of every dollar given to this fund will go directly to help those in need.

If you want to specify that your gift be used to provide aid in the North Texas Area, place the words Hurricane - North Texas Relief on the for line. (UMCOR has setup a special North Texas Relief Fund.)

Suncreek UMC Jr. High Youth assemble health kits in Baldwin, Louisiana (June 2005)

Health Kits and Flood Buckets

The need for flood buckets and health kits is a pressing, ongoing need! It is currently estimated that more than 50,000 flood buckets and as many health kits are desperately needed for recovery efforts from both hurricanes.

Suncreek UMC continues to collect supplies for health kits and flood buckets. These supplies will be shipped to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Depot in Baldwin , LA for distribution to those in need. Our Children's Ministry team has indicated that this is an especially good way to involve our children in helping those in need. Suncreek has been designated as a drop-off site for churches in the North Texas Conference. If you would like to assist in collected these kits and buckets, or if you would like to help in preparing kits and buckets, please contact janet.hunt@suncreekumc.org.

Health kits consist of the following:

1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27")
1 washcloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)
1 large tube of toothpaste (4.5 oz. or larger, expiration date must be 6 months or longer in advance of the date of shipment to UMCOR Sager Brown)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.
Please do not include any religious, political or patriotic notes or emblems in any kit.

Flood buckets consist of the following- (people could complete an entire bucket or bring various items)

gallon bucket with resealable lid
Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 ounce bottle. |
5 scouring pads
7 sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 ounce or one 50 ounce bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12 or 16 ounce
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 ounce bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 foot or one 100 foot)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24 bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 insect repellant spray, 6-14 ounce can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps)
1 air freshener, 8 or 9 ounce can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.)

Local Volunteer Opportunities
We have offered our church facilities to host families impacted by the Hurricanes. However, it is unlikely that this will occur because we do not have facilities like showers or a large kitchen. (It will be several years before we complete construction on these kinds of facilities.)

Many of our church members have volunteered at shelters in our area. Suncreek members have offered time and resources to support area shelters like First United Methodist Church - McKinney, Samaritan Inn, and the Shelter at the Old Wal-Mart in McKinney. Other have worked at resource centers like St. Luke "Community" UMC.

Other Information

United Methodist Committee on Relief

Aiding refugees, providing relief in disaster areas, and confronting the challenge of world hunger and poverty.

Click here to learn some of the ways that Suncreek UMC has responded to the hurricanes.