For more than five years, the youth at First United Methodist Church in Siloam Springs have been working toward a lofty goal of raising $5,000 for Heifer International. On Sunday, Nov. 18, they were finally able to donate the funds to Heifer in a presentation ceremony at the church.
The Timothy Team Children’s Ministry — made up of children in the church from Pre-K to 6th grade — have been bringing loose change and dollars each week to church in order to fund the Fill the Ark fundraising event set up by Heifer International.
“All along the way the children have been learning just what an impact these animals will make in the lives of the families around the world who will receive them and how one cow or a pair of chickens can go a long way toward addressing hunger and food scarcity in a family or a village,” said Melissa Habermas, communications assistant at First UMC Siloam Springs.
The children at First UMC had a goal of raising $5,000 in five years but easily surpassed that goal, raising a total of $6,000 in that time period.
During a special “Blessing of the Ark” reception on Sunday, the group presented the $6,000 check to a representative from Heifer International.
According to Heifer International’s website, Fill the Ark is a “four-week daily missions giving program that offers real-life solutions to world hunger and poverty and illustrates how one person, one family, and one congregation can make a difference in today’s world.”
For more information on Heifer International’s giving programs for faith communities, visit https://www.heifer.org/resources/faith/index.html.