Episcopal Press and News
Honduras Relief Effort Stretches Across the Country
Episcopal News Service. December 21, 1998 [98-2274_ZZ]
Central America might seem to be a distant piece of geography to the people in and near Kilmarnock, Virginia, but that didn't stop the members of Grace Church there from launching an aid project in mid-November to help the people of Honduras.
Led by a retired Army general, William C. Louisell, and supported by the church's rector, the Rev. Hugh C. White III, the project begun by the church outreach committee grew into an ecumenical effort that eventually gathered 12.5 tons of tools, medicine, food and cookware for shipment to one of the areas worst hit by Hurricane Mitch.
Their shipment was expected to reach Central America early in January. The project began with Grace Church's decision to collect the materials and a call by White to Robert Jones of St. Paul's Church in Norfolk, Virginia. Jones, a trucking company executive, saw to the shipping details. After talking with Bishop Leo Frade of Honduras to determine what the diocese needed most, Grace Church sent out a call to other churches to help collect items and sort and pack them.
Several churches joined the ecumenical response and the collection began with a few shovels, handsaws, pots and pans. That turned into a torrent of tools and supplies, all sorted, cleaned and even sharpened when necessary, then boxed and made ready for shipment.
With the materials came donations of money, which is now being used to purchase small solar-powered water purification systems for Honduras.
"The response by this small community might be termed extraordinary if it were not happening across the nation," said Suzy Norman, a member of Grace Church's outreach committee.
Despite reports of shipping delays and snafus that have left tons of food, clothing and supplies in warehouses from California to New Jersey, collections and fund-raising activities have brought together volunteers in many projects.
The Diocese of Washington, D.C., is working to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Honduran relief, collected materials that has been organized into boxes that can be distributed to individual families (with plans for items such as construction tools to be shipped later), and is gearing up to eventually send engineers, construction teams and medical teams.
The Diocese of Northern Indiana sent three trucks as part of its effort on behalf of Honduras, and many parishes, such as St. Simon's in Miami (which counted Frade as a member when he was a youngster), launched efforts, often with other churches, to help in the reconstruction of Central America.