Blessing Bids for 2012

The 2012 Northern Michigan Relief Sale is the sixth year for Blessing Bids.   This is the part of the event where you get to select from a list of MCC Giving Projects and donate a specific amount of money for a specific project.

This year’s list includes education, agriculture, medical and development projects where MCC and it’s partner organizations around the world are seeking the make a difference in people’s lives.  Two items merit special attention:  Water and Mid East Relief.

Clean Water – MCC continues it’s work to meet the basic need for clean water for everyone.  This year’s Blessing Bids includes two appeals for funding related to Sand Dams.

Mid East Crisis – MCC is providing immediate aid to refugees from fighting in Syria, which has taken 17,000 lives according to recent counts.  The movement of more than 20,000 refugees into neighboring countries has strained the existing resources of food, water, health care, and shelter.

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$500 – Sand Dams Collect Rain Water – Tanzania

Water from seasonal rains is lost due to lack of storage.  Sand Dams trap and store water under stream beds for many months after the rains cease.  This amount provides tools and supplies for one sand dam.

$2,000 – Trees for Sand Dams – Africa

Sand dams are good, and shaded ones are better. Trees provide shade which reduces heat and evaporation, while providing fruits and nuts.  This amount establishes a tree nursery around one sand dam.

$100 – Will fund a 1/2o share in a Tree Nursery

$300 – Global Family – Uganda – Hope Never Runs Dry

In the last stages of AIDS, a parent isn’t able to provide income and children drop out of school to care for the infected parent. When the parent dies, there is no one to care for the children, nor money for their return to school.  This amount is for a one year scholarship for one AIDS orphaned student.

 $300 – Global Family – Jordan – Education for the Deaf

 Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) in Jordan, opened  in 1964. The deaf/blind unit started in 2001. The institute provides services that empower, educate and enhance the lives of individuals who are deaf and blind.  

This amount provides a one year scholarship for one student.

$250 – Guatemala – Raising flowers and fish

Farmer cooperative groups provide leverage to increase productivity and  income. In Guatemala, MCC supports community efforts to grow and market products such as fish and flowers.  MCC efforts enable farmers to be landowners and not just day laborers.  This amount funds materials for one irrigation system and one greenhouse.

$110 – Kenya – Treating diabetes

Diabetes is a serious health threat for many who can’t afford testing or medicine.  MCC partner, Moi University School of Medicine provides education, a home glucose monitor, test strips and insulin or oral medicine. When diabetes is controlled, other long-term health problems are greatly reduced.  This amount funds a monitor, test strips, and insulin for 1 year

$100 – Indonesia – Picking up fruit for peace

Indonesian Mennonites and other Christians live alongside Muslims, Hindus, and Buddists, with violence often erupting. A neighborhood group in Solo, Forum for Peace, gathers discarded fruit from local markets, and turns it into ethanol for cooking.  The shared work builds trust, respect and relationships to reduce conflicts.  This amount provides materials and transportation for 5 people to attend training in ethanol production and reconciliation methods.

$100 – United States – Justice in New Orleans

After Hurricane Katrina, rental prices skyrocketed, less housing was available for low-income families, and many who lived in the city in 2005 have yet to return. MCC worker Pam Nath attends meetings to voice concerns about displaced former residents. Nath also supports grassroots groups working to re-establish 36 churches in six African-American neighborhoods. This covers costs for one day in New Orleans.

$85 Bangladesh – Developing new threads

In Bangladesh, opportunities for employment are scarce.  MCC helps to develop new products out of recycled and local natural materials, such as making thread, yarn and fabric from plants. The program then trains rural women to create products that can be sold in local and overseas markets.  This amount covers costs to develop new product samples and participating in trade fairs to find markets.

$60 – Cambodia – Changing lives through loans

Small loans can make a big difference in the lives of farmers around the world.  Farmers with loans buy piglets or chickens. MCC training on breeding and related gardening helps farmers provide food and income for their families.  This amount funds a beginning loan and training for one farmer

$25 – URGENT NEED – MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

MCC is appealing for $500,000 to assist partner organizations in Syria and Lebanon in response to escalating civil unrest. About 20,000 Syrians have already fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. MCC’s response includes Relief Kits, emergency food and medicine.

 BLESSING BIDS WILL BE TAKEN DURING THE AFTERNOON QUILT AUCTION OR AT ANY TIME AT THE CASHIER’S WINDOW. 

IF A PROJECT BECOMES FULLY FUNDED, MCC WILL APPLY DONATED. FUNDS OVER THE AMOUNT NEEDED TO SIMILAR PROJECTS.