THE THIRD WAVE
New focus: Collect flood buckets and money

Holston Conference is expanding its relief efforts to include victims of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. In this ìthird waveî of appeals, Holston has been asked by the Alabama- West Florida Conference and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to focus on collecting flood buckets. Members are also encouraged to keep giving money.

IN PREVIOUS donation "waves", Holston churches collected items such as bottled water or new undergarments. The list of needs has been changed - and will continue to be updated in the coming months - as UMCOR moves into different phases of the relief effort, mission leaders said.

Most recently, flood buckets moved to the top of the list because the Alabama-West Florida Conference made a special appeal to Holston Conference. In addition, UMCOR has an elevated need for flood buckets to help victims of the most recent hurricane, Rita, in Texas. The goal is to collect more than 2,000 flood buckets throughout Holston by Oct. 15.

Bishop James Swanson thanked churches for their generosity, following the Holston treasurer's announcement that $740,864 had been donated to UMCOR as of Sept. 29. The total, collected since early September, has surpassed Holston's total donated to tsunami relief, $648,987, which has been collected since January 2005. Meanwhile, UMCOR's cash contributions to Katrina relief surpassed $7 million on Sept. 27.

UMCOR and Holston leaders encouraged members to continue giving money, even though they may feel as if they should be working with their hands or donating supplies.

"The most important thing people can do is support UMCOR financially," the Rev. Tom Hazelwood told United Methodist News Service. Hazelwood is disaster reponse executive for UMCOR.

The relief agency provides a long-term response to disasters, Hazelwood said, and money raised will be used by UMCOR for years to come. One hundred percent of money donated to UMCOR is used for relief efforts, not administrative costs.

UMCOR makes other needs (such as flood buckets) known as they arise, Hazelwood added. Giving material support doesn't mean cleaning out closets and garages and sending those items. "That's not appropriate giving," he said.

Work in progress
In addition to money, Holston has already made other contributions to the massive relief effort. Congregations have rallied to collect supplies and several trucks have been dispatched from Chattanooga, Cleveland, Knoxville, Kingsport, Johnson City, Abingdon, Tazewell, and Wytheville.

A conference work team departed from Kingsport District Sept. 25 to organize a supply distribution center in Wiggins, Miss. Two conference staff members, Eric Glass and Anita Henderlight, worked at a Meridian, Miss., response center from Sept. 22 to 27. Additional conference staff members will be "loaned" to the Mississippi Conference in the weeks ahead, according to Director of Connectional Ministries Anne Travis.

In the "third wave" of donation appeals, flood buckets should be delivered to district collection points on or before Oct. 15, Travis said. The conference will arrange for trucks to pick up the flood buckets and deliver them to Alabama-West Florida and other locations designated by UMCOR.

Church members should call or e-mail their district offices for donation drop-off points. For district e-mail addresses or phone numbers, visit http://hurricanerelief.holston.org or call the conference office. Flood bucket contents are provided at the end of this article.

For churches that still have supplies collected in previous "waves" - such as bottled water, paper products, diapers, or single-bed air mattresses - those items will still be accepted at the district drop-off points.

Other needs
Holston Conference is assembling work teams to send to hurricane-affected areas. Individuals, churches, and districts that wish to participate on these teams should contact the conference's emergency-response coordinator, Bonnie Howard, at (865) 458-4943 or bonniej4943@cs.com.

It important to contact Howard before sending individuals or teams to hurricane-affected areas, Travis said. Some church groups arriving in Mississippi and Louisiana without first coordinating through the conference office and UMCOR were sent back home, because UMCOR's needs are specific and volunteers require training.

UMCOR's Sager Brown Depot is in need of trucks or trailers with accompanying volunteers who can stay and help with distribution for a few days. To volunteer, call Gwen at 1-800-334-4221.

How to give money
UMCOR now has two Advance Special numbers for hurricane relief, requiring members to designate whether they are giving to help Hurricane Katrina victims or to Hurricane Rita victims. Checks should be made to a local church (for example, "First United Methodist Church") or to "Holston Conference." Mark "Hurricanes 2005 Katrina #982523" or "Hurricane Rita #901323" on the memo line.

To receive conference credit for the Advance Special contribution, church treasurers should send checks to the Treasurer's Office, P.O. Box 32939, Knoxville, TN 37930-2939. Church treasurers should designate Project 527 for funds sent to Hurricane Katrina, or Project 529 for Hurricane Rita, on their remittance forms.

It is also possible to make credit-card donations online at http://methodistrelief.org or by calling (800) 554-8583.

Conference contacts
To ask questions about Holston's relief response or to report your church's own hurricane-relief activities, e-mail reliefneeds@holston.org. You may also call the conference office in Knoxville, Tenn., tollfree at (866) 690-4080 or locally at (865) 690-4080.

For updates on Holston's ongoing response and for resources, go to http://hurricanerelief.holston.org.

Flood bucket contents
The following items should be packed into a 5-gallon bucket with resealable lid:

Bleach (two 1-quart or one 82 oz. bottle)
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
1 household cleaner (12-16 oz. bottle)
Disinfectant dish soap (16-28 oz. bottle)
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
1 pair work gloves
2 pair latex gloves
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags (33-45 gallon; remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 insect repellent spray (6-14 oz. can; if aerosol, cans must have protective caps)
1 air freshener (8 or 9 oz. can; if aerosol, cans must have protective caps)

Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid. If the requested sized item is not available, go down to the next available size. If nothing is available in the requested or smaller size, put masking tape on the outside of the bucket saying, "This bucket contains no _________." Please ensure that all cleansing agents are liquids (not powder) and in plastic bottles. Value: $45 per bucket. In a separate envelope, send a check written to UMCOR Sager Brown for at least $1.50 for each flood bucket to help with the costs of processing and shipping.

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