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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Wednesday, 25 November 2009 |
By KAREN CAMPBELL
Assistant Managing Editor
After 20 years, a local non-profit ministry continues to meet food, clothing, shelter and emergency aid needs in the community.
“The number of people we help is still very surprising to me,” said Rollie Kent, of Mercy Unlimited’s Board of Directors. “But so is the amount of need and that need keeps going up.”
From Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, Mercy Unlimited met the emergency needs of more than 12,521 people living in eastern Auglaize County. In addition they provided cleaning supplies, health and hygiene items, for which food stamps cannot be used.
In comparison, Mercy Unlimited filled the needs of 7,643 individuals in 2006, 9,010 in 2007 and 11,004 in 2008.
Mercy Unlimited Director Tammy Brown said the services and needs in the years ahead are expected to increase substantially.
The ministry started operating solely providing food out of a garage in 1989. Since then it has been housed in various rental spaces, moving as growth dictated, and currently is in two separate locations at 5 E. Auglaize St. and 9 W. Auglaize St., as a move to an even bigger facility in coming months is planned and renovations made.
Founded on the bible’s principles, Mercy Unlimited is interdenominational and works with all of the 35 Christian churches in eastern Auglaize County to minister to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, ill dressed, sick and those in prison.
Brown said they assist the poor, working poor, low income and no income, providing food, clothing and spiritual counseling as well as financial assistance with emergency housing and utilities.
They also help those in medical crisis and in need of prescriptions with nowhere else to turn. Fire and disaster victims, as well as the homeless and transients are brought to Mercy to assist in meeting their basic needs.
Individuals have provided a bounty of clothes, shoes, furniture, kitchen utensils, handicap items and toys, which Mercy sells at its store to raise funds to offer additional assistance to those in need.
Among the list of services Mercy Unlimited provides to the community are:
• Senior citizen meals — as part of its food ministry, approximately 50 senior citizens receive food boxes containing assorted nutritional, age-related food. Many of these seniors are widowed, home-bound and have little income. Most also do not have much, if any, family to watch over them.
• Children essentials — a resource for diapers, infant formula, over-the-counter medicines, detergents and health aides, as well as providing socks, shoes, scarves, gloves, hats and winter cots to children in need each year.
• Holidays — Easter dinner baskets and Thanksgiving dinner boxes are provided by the ministry, which assists in the annual Miracle Meal, Christmas dinner for the community.
• Financial assistance — provided to residents of eastern Auglaize County if they are in jeopardy of being evicted from their homes or their utilities are in danger of being turned off, if funding is available.
• Chaplain ministry — financially supports a ministry team that visits inmates and conducts church services and bible studies, as well as providing inspiration, counseling and fellowship at the Auglaize County Jail. Also provided 277 bibles to individuals at their request.
• School supplies — in conjunction with Auglaize County United Way’s Day of Caring, Mercy Unlimited collects school supplies and distributes them to students throughout the school systems in eastern Auglaize County.
This is part one in a two-part series on Mercy Unlimited. The second part of the series is scheduled to run in Saturday’s edition of the Wapakoneta Daily News.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 November 2009 )
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