Staff writer
Several local Mennonite churches including First Mennonite Church and Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church are raising funds for Mennonite Central Committee to aid victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Those wishing to donate can go to http://www.mcc.org/typhoon or contact the MCC Central States office in Newton at (316) 283-2720.
MCC sent a 10-member team trained in disaster preparedness to the Philippines Nov. 12 to Leyte Island, one of the typhoon’s hardest hit areas.
By collaborating with the Church World Service, MCC has also committed $200,000 to help meet urgent needs. This includes providing emergency food and non-food items to help improve sanitation and hygiene for 3,750 families on the eastern side of Leyte Island.
MCC will also provide items such as bath soap, detergent, towels, and pails for carrying water, diapers, and bucket showers. Majority of the money raised will go to single-parent families or child-headed households, or households with pregnant or nursing mothers, children under 2, and elderly and disabled.
For more information on local relief efforts visit the MCC Central States office website, http://centralstates.mcc.org/.