Thibodaux officials amendable to trash partnership talks
February 13, 2013Break down these walls, Mr. Hebert
February 13, 2013
For Grace Lutheran Church in Houma, three fundraisers more than equaled the $3,200 dollars needed to help build a home for a family in Haiti.
“We just mailed the check,” said church secretary Donna Boger. “Last July, we started raising money through our vacation bible school and our Saints party fundraiser. We raised $1,500 from those two events, and we also earmarked $1,700 of the $3,000 dollars we raised from our annual fall festival in October for our Operation Starfish Donation.”
About a year ago, a representative from Food for the Poor, which the church also collects for, visited the church and spoke to the congregation about Operation Starfish. With a donation of $3,200, the organization is able to build a two bedroom, 900-square-foot home with indoor plumbing in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Americas.
“We like the Food for the Poor organization,” Boger said. “The money goes straight to the need, and 97 cents of every dollar goes to the cause. It’s such a good cause. In addition to donating money to build a house, you can also send money for them to purchase pigs, goats and other low maintenance animals.”
“I told my kids I was going to purchase pigs and donate them in their name for Christmas because they have enough already,” she said, laughing. “It’s the church’s first year, and I don’t think it will be our last with the way members of our congregation are talking about the project. We are so excited to receive the packet and learn more about the family that will be living in the home we helped to build.”
The church’s pastor Richard Rudnik would also like to see his church members continue the good deed for years to come.
“It’s not hard for a congregation to raise $3,200 in a year, not in the United States, and that money goes a long way in Haiti,” Rudnik said. “People were so moved when a guest speaker, a pastor from another church, told us about his church and their work with program. It was a no brainer for us to build a house in Haiti, and we are eyeing to do one a year. I think when people see photos of the family we helped, they will be like, ‘Let’s do another one.’”
Rudnik, who has traveled to Honduras to conduct missionary work, would like to see members of his congregation travel to the Haiti to visit those the church has helped, but also pointed out that the money spent on a plane ticket could help another family.
“I am impressed with the program because we get the most bang for our buck, but I think it would be great if we got even more bang for our buck by not traveling to Haiti and, instead, donating that money to help build another home,” he said. “These people in Haiti really need this. They needed it before the earthquake, and they really need it now. You don’t have to be Lutheran to donate to the cause either. I encourage all people to donate to the cause.”
Since 1986, Operation Starfish has built more almost 9,500 homes in Haiti and, since a 2010 earthquake left an estimated one million Haitians homeless, the organization has helped to build more than 3,600 new homes.
“After the earthquake, we were building way more homes,” said Angel Aloma, executive director of Food for the Poor. “We got a huge response from our donor base and from lots of new donors. We did not want to build temporary housing after the earthquake because temporary housing structures have a tendency to become new ghetto if they are not removed.”
Each new home takes about six to eight weeks to build and, in addition to putting a roof over a family’s head, the new dwelling also leads to new income opportunities for the family.
“Many families start a business in front of their new home,” Aloma said. “Some sell rice, flour and canned items or water and beer. They are very entrepreneurial people. I visited a home we helped build last week, and the woman was selling charcoal on her back porch while her 80-year-old mother was selling water and beer on the front porch. Having a home is the first big step to getting out of the cycle of poverty.”
