MARCH MISSION CRATE
Heifer Project International
A Midwestern farmer named Dan West was ladling out rations of milk to hungry children during the Spanish Civil War when it hit him - “These children don’t need a cup, they need a cow.” West, who was serving as a Church of the Brethren relief worker, was forced to decide who would receive the limited rations and who wouldn’t – literally, who would live and who would die. This kind of aid, he knew, would never be enough. So West returned home to form Heifers for Relief, dedicated to ending hunger permanently by providing families with livestock and training so that they “could be spared the indignity of depending on others to feed their children.”
In 1944, the first shipment of 17 heifers left York, Pennsylvania, for Puerto Rico, going to families whose malnourished children had never even tasted milk. Why heifers? These are young cows that haven’t yet given birth – making them perfect not only for supplying a continued source of milk, but also for supplying a continued source of support. That’s because each family receiving a heifer agrees to “pass on the gift” and donate the female offspring to another family, so that the gift of food is never-ending. This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Since 1944, Heifer has helped 7 million people in more than 125 countries.
Heifer - $500.00
A single Heifer cow can deliver up to four gallons of protein-packed milk every day. Giving one of these cows to a hungry family changes their lives. These four gallons of milk provide children with the nourishment they need to head off to school. Income earned by selling surplus milk pays for tuition as well as medicine, clothing and better housing. Because a healthy cow can have a calf every year, your gift could eventually help an entire community move from poverty to self-reliance.
Ark banks will be distributed during Children’s Church on Sunday March 2nd and additional banks will be available in the entrance hallway. Please fill up your bank and return it by March 31st. You can also write a check and place it in the offering plate – mark the envelope “Heifer Project.”