Carroll Countians will have an opportunity to help! Please plan on participating in a combined donation drive and Interfaith prayer service on Sunday Sept. 11, 2005 at Winters Mill High School, 560 Gorsuch Road, Westminster. The non-denominational half-day event is being called "Kare for Your Neighbor: Interfaith Outreach for Survivors of Katrina". The service will begin at 1:30 in the Winters Mill Cafeteria and Prayer Circles will be held all day. Local area congregations are encouraged to participate.

From 1:00 pm-5:00 Pm. Winters Mill High School students and staff will be leading the collection drive. They will be available to receive, pack and organize community donations into "Heart to Heart Kits" which will be delivered to those in need by the Brethren Service Center. They will accept preassembled kits or individual items. Contents needed for the three kits vary.

"Gift of the Heart Health Kit" includes: One hand TOWEL, One washcloth , One comb, One metal nail file or nail clipper, One bar of soap (bath size) , One toothbrush , One tube of toothpaste (4-7 ounces) , Six Band-Aids . Seal all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure. Or, if you prefer, a donation of $12 will allow Church World Service to provide the Kit.

A "Gift of the Heart Emergency Clean-up Bucket" enables people to begin the overwhelming job of cleaning up after the disaster. The value per bucket is $45 and includes: 5-gallon bucket with resealable lid , 5 scouring pads, 7 sponges, assorted sizes , 1 scrub brush , 18 cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes ®) , 50 oz. dry laundry detergent , 12 oz. bottle of liquid household cleaner (like Lysol ®) ,28 oz. bottle liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn ®) , 50 clothes pins , Clothesline, two 50 ft. or one 100 ft. , 5 packages dust masks (like Benchtop ®) , 2 pair latex gloves , 1 pair work gloves , 24-bag roll heavy-duty trash bags (33-45 gallon) ,1 6-14 oz. bottle of insect repellant (drops or lotion, not aerosol) . Please purchase all liquids in plastic bottles. Be sure to send all new, unopened materials. Put all items in the plastic bucket, making sure they are packed securely to avoid damage during shipment, and seal lid with packing tape.

"Heart-to-Heart Kids Kit" recognizes that even as faces must be washed and bellies must be fed, laughter must be heard as well. The kit includes: One Rubbermaid® Clear Impressions shoebox with lid, 6.5 qt., or other flexible clear plastic 6.5 qt. shoebox with lid , One small stuffed bear , One soft small ball , One harmonica, or other small musical instrument , One 6" x 9" non-spiral bound pad of regular or construction paper (60-100 sheets) , One slinky , One yo-yo , One 7-foot child's jump rope , One comb , One toothbrush , One tube of toothpaste (4-7 ounces) , One box of 24 crayons , One large eraser , Six new pencils with erasers , One pencil sharpener , One 30-centimeter ruler (12") , One pair blunt child's scissors . Remove excess packaging so that items fit snugly in box. Place all items inside the shoebox, close lid, and tie securely with ribbon.

The Brethren Service Center will guarantee delivery of the kits to those stricken by last week's hurricane. Trucks to move donations from Winters Mill to the Brethren Service Center are being provided by Human Services Programs of Carroll County. Volunteer Drivers are needed.

Cash donations may be sent to the Emergency Disaster Fund, Brethren Service Center, P.O. Box 188, New Windsor, MD 21176.

Information regarding this and other community response efforts can be found on The Partnership's website or by calling Laurie Beard, Manager of Community Health Improvement at The Partnership at 410-871-6372.

Kare For Your Neighbor: An Interfaith Prayer Service for the Survivors of Katrina - Flyer (Adobe PDF)