AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
Following another busy morning at Orphan Grain Train Maryland’s warehouse at 621 East West Boulevard in Millersville, the last of the volunteers pulled down the loading dock door and buttoned up the barnlike building.
Even as the volunteers worked to pack donations into shipping containers bound for South Sudan and Liberia, word came down from Orphan Grain Train headquarters in Norfolk, Nebraska that transportation was being arranged for a much-needed shipment of clothing, medical supplies and other materials to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova in the April/May timeframe.
Branch Manager Bruce Coonradt and Assistant Branch Manager Ron Phipps would be managing the effort to raise funds and collect donations for the shipment. Phipps stayed behind to explain the operation. Seated at his desk, he explained that Orphan Grain Train had been in contact with the Ukrainian recipients to ask what they needed.
“We never send a shipment without checking with the recipients to see exactly what they need. To do otherwise would be wasteful and counter-productive,” Phipps said while holding up a list of the Ukranians’ needs.
He also showed a more recent email slightly altering the list.
As can be seen, foremost among what is needed are medical supplies and clothing. Children’s and adult diapers and feminine hygiene products were also vitally important, according to Phipps, as the refugees left their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Phipps added that Moldova is being added to twelve other countries Orphan Grain Train Maryland sends assistance. The requirements for each country are similar in some respects but differ in others. The countries served range from Kyrgyzstan to South Sudan, Cameroon, Liberia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Haiti and Cuba as well as domestic shipments to parts of the United States.
Situations differ in each instance. South Sudan has been constantly in a state of civil war while Cameroon and Liberia have equatorial climates and suffer from storms or droughts. Other countries served were hit by natural disasters like the massive earthquake in Haiti in 2010 or Hurricane Irma in Cuba. Domestically, OGT helps with natural disasters as well including the Ellicott City flood right here in Maryland in 2018.
A tour through the office area and warehouse with Phipps revealed some of the inventory to be included in the shipping container that will go to Moldova. OGT volunteers had filled boxes with sorted and neatly folded items like towels and linens, sheets, blankets and quilts, sewing paraphernalia. Summer clothing lined one entire wall by the warehouse entrance.
Sitting on the warehouse floor was a large box marked “Heavy Winter Coats” – items still much in demand to combat the bitter cold temperatures of early spring in Eastern Europe. Rolls and bolts of fabric were nearby.
There were several collections of bicycles which are highly prized in all countries but will especially be appreciated by the Ukrainians who’ve had their automobiles destroyed or had to leave them behind.
There are literally hundreds of boxes stored on the warehouse shelves, each marked with what it contains. Phipps points out that all the cardboard boxes were generously donated by Chick-fil-A.
From hospital beds and shower chairs to wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and canes, Orphan Grain Train is well supplied to handle medical equipment requests like those from the Ukrainians. Thanks to a generous donation, they can even supply shunts for patients with hydrocephalus or fluid on the brain. In fact, OCT also has a walk-up program for locals who have a family member who has had an accident or is incapacitated and needs a hospital bed or piece of equipment. The equipment is free of charge and can be (and usually is) returned when the injured party has recovered.
Phipps pointed to a newly arrived donation from a company called International Reuse Network that offers to dispose of furnishings when a school or business closes and donates the pieces to OTG Maryland regularly. In this case, they’ve donated stacks of brand-new table tops along with separate boxes of table legs that will be going to Moldova. He said OGT is also grateful for regular donations from Bombas Socks and from Standard Textiles which regularly donates linens including sheets, pillowcases and blankets. He adds that quite a lot of donations – particularly for clothing – come from individuals in the greater Severna Park and Millersville areas.
A volunteer himself for twenty years, Phipps emphasized that Orphan Grain Train is a completely volunteer organization with local residents of all ages pitching in on volunteer days to sort, repair and pack donations. Financial donations come from local residents, from church congregations, and from local and national businesses as well as from fundraisers like OGT’s Food Truck Fridays. Monetary donations are exceptionally important because container shipping costs to South Sudan average $21,000 per year, shipping to Liberia averages $6,000 and Cameroon averages about $5,500.
Orphan Grain Train is a Christian organization with 29 branches that ship supplies to communities in need around the world. The Maryland branch in Millersville is one of only three on the East Coast. Because of perishability and long shipping times, the branch doesn’t ship food though a few others do.
The Maryland branch was started by current-day solicitations director Elfie Eberle in 2001 and operated from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Annapolis until 2016 when the warehouse was built. According to Phipps, the new building which some people describe as a church while others believe it looks more like a barn, attracted much attention and many new donors and volunteers. He said it’s a very happy place and volunteers love coming to help.
Volunteer times are Tuesdays from 9 am to noon and 5 pm to 7 pm when donations are also accepted and the second Saturday of every month from 9 am to noon.
For more information on the activities or to volunteer or make a donation, visit Maryland | Orphan Grain Train | Sharing resources and bringing Christ’s name and character to needy people both far and near. (ogt.org) or check them out at Orphan Grain Train | Facebook
Partners In Care receives $75,000 Grant for Veterans Helping Veterans Program
Partners In Care Maryland, Inc. announced that it recently received a $7,500 Grant from The TowerCares Foundation for their Veterans Helping Veterans program.
Partners In Care Maryland’s Veterans Helping Veterans Program assists veterans and their spouses who are 60 plus years old thrive independently in their homes through connections to community, services, and volunteerism.
The TowerCares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports today’s children in need as well as the brave men and women who protect our freedom and their families—so that they all may have a brighter future tomorrow. The Foundation gives grants to charitable organizations like Partners In Care that make the lives of our veterans easier.
For more information on the Veterans Helping Veterans Program visit Home – Partners In Care Maryland.
