Buckets of Hope unite local church and businesses to help Haiti
“Everybody doing a little bit makes a big difference,” said John Heading, pastor at Beavercreek Baptist Church. This concept drove the church as it participated in “Buckets of Hope,” a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief project aimed at relieving some of the suffering in Haiti following the January earthquake.
Buckets of Hope challenged Southern Baptist churches to assemble five-gallon buckets of food supplies to feed a Haitian family for approximately a week. Included in the buckets were ten pounds of rice, four pounds of black beans, and five pounds of flour, as well as sugar, peanut butter, spaghetti noodles and cooking oil. All these items were strategically placed into the bucket and sealed. In addition, a $10 donation for shipping was requested. The total cost of each bucket was $40.
The church members, along with local businesses, UES Inc. in Beavercreek and MTCI in Cincinnati, raised more than $1600 in donations to assemble 42 buckets. In addition, individual church members donated 15 completed buckets for a total of 57. Nationally, Buckets of Hope has collected over 140,000 buckets.
The largest local contributor to this project was UES, Inc. According to UES, Inc. President Nina Joshi, a UES employee who is a member of Beavercreek Baptist brought the project to the attention of the company. “Laura VanSchaack was instrumental in UES’ decision to participate in Buckets of Hope. She informed us of the program and the direct benefits to the Haitian people,” said Joshi. “The corporate philosophy of UES, an employee owned company, understands that our employees are our most important asset and we strive to support their interests and well-being. This corporate philosophy of care and concern extends to our nation and others around the world. We understand that that we must assist others in need, to raise the standard of living for all.”
A memo from the President was sent out company-wide, including to satellite offices at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and Univ. of Cincinnati, giving the details of the Buckets of Hope collection project. Funds were collected by the Human Resources Dept, and after the collection deadline, the company matched the total funds given by the employees. UES raised $1,240 for the project.
Once the money was raised, the church purchased all the food supplies and buckets and then assembled them during a Wednesday evening service. The buckets were then transported to Blue Ash, Ohio and then on to Florida for distribution in Haiti.
“Projects like these provide an opportunity for churches and business to come together for a common cause,” said Pastor Heading. “No one is pushing an agenda – we are just trying to help people in need.”
