Ways UMCs Can Alleviate Hunger by Helping People Help Themselves!

It’s a huge bummer that we can’t get together as a community for Ingathering this year. Every November, we look forward to connecting with UMC congregations across Iowa to work toward alleviating hunger and poverty in Ghana and Nicaragua.

We value your partnership tremendously and want to ensure that your congregations can make an impact in 2020. Here are some ways that you can continue to fight hunger by helping people help themselves:

  • From Nov. 9 – Dec. 1, Self-Help International’s Board of Directors and key partners are offering a 100% match, up to $60,000, on gifts made.* This gift matching opportunity is an annual tradition to celebrate Giving Tuesday, which is a day of giving on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving that is recognized by charitable organizations around the world. Starting Nov. 9, your congregation can send a Giving Tuesday gift to 207 20th St. NW Suite A, Waverly, IA 50677. Please put, “Giving Tuesday” in the memo line.
  • We have Self-Help videos showing the impact that your congregations make in rural communities. These videos are a great resource to share with your church! You can find a full selection of our videos on our YouTube channel. Below, you can see one of our featured videos, “Resilience: Justina, Businesswoman & Fighter.”
  • We may not be able to pass out physical copies of our latest impact report this year, but we do have a virtual copy of the 2019 Impact Report. You can view and share the virtual copy here. Want some physical copies to hand out? You can email Self-Help’s Development Director, Megan Sehr, at megan@selfhelpinternational.org to request copies be mailed to you.

We will miss you at Ingathering this year, and we hope to see you again in 2021!

*Match is guaranteed until 11:59 PM on 12/01/2020 or until matching funds run out, whichever comes first. Mailed gifts must be postmarked by 12/01/2020. Notify Susan Cornforth if you think your gift will arrive after 12/01 by calling 319-352-4040 or emailing her at susan@selfhelpinternational.org


Resilience: Justina, Businesswoman & Fighter

Justina says, “La vida es una lucha,” or “Life is a struggle.” Watch her story about being a fighter.