January/February Mission Project

Now we ask you to SUPPORT OUR JANUARY/FEBRUARY MISSION PROJECT of making School Kits and Drawstring Backpacks for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). This project gives a child, somewhere in the world, the opportunity to go to school. To the children who receive school kits, these supplies mean the difference between getting an education or not. Public school is usually free, but in the places where LWR works, even a few requested supplies, like pens and paper, may be more than many families can afford. And when parents can only afford to send one of their children to school, girls rarely get priority…yet the education level of mothers has the biggest impact on development. We will be assembling our school kits with the following items so please donate as many of them as you can during the next two months. (Bring items to church and put in the basket that will be provided in the narthex.)

    • Four 70 sheet notebooks of wide or college ruled paper, approximately 8”x10½”, no loose-leaf paper
    • One 30-centimeter ruler or a ruler with centimeters on one side and inches on the other
    • One pencil sharpener
    • One blunt scissors (safety scissors with embedded steel blades work well)
    • Five unsharpened #2 pencils with erasers, secure together with a rubber band
    • Five black or blue ballpoint pens (no gel ink), secure together with a rubber band
    • One box of 16 or 24 crayons
    • One 2½” eraser

LWR works closely with their overseas partners to determine the best contents to include in kits. The kits will do the most good possible when containing only the items listed above. Also, when all kits contain the same items, recipients are treated equally and fairly, which is important for those who have already experienced a great deal of injustice or tragedy. Please donate only new items. Sending top quality items shows the greatest care and respect for the dignity of the recipient, and quality items withstand the harsh conditions that many people who receive these supplies are facing. Also, do not donate items with any religious symbols, patriotic, or military symbols. LWR strives to be an impartial humanitarian organization and not politically motivated. We also will take monetary donations as it costs $1.40 to send one school kit overseas. If you like to sew, please consider making a drawstring backpack. The pattern can be found in the JW/ELCA mailbox in the church office. Our goal is to pack each school kit into a new drawstring backpack! Thanks!!!