Economic Needs Projects

Hygiene kits are a perfect way to bless a group of people at a local organization or in a distant land. Local organizations like homeless shelters, hospices, battered women’s shelters, nursing homes, local colleges/universities or rescue missions are great places to touch many lives with a small gift of a hygiene kit. Additionally, hygiene kits can be given to disaster relief efforts or mailed in bulk overseas.

Nearly 4 out of every 10 births are to unwed mothers, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Whether a young teenager, college student, or working woman finds herself pregnant outside of marriage it can be scary, challenging and life-changing. Use the opportunity for blessing and loving her. Partner with the local pregnancy care center to find young women in need.

Do you have clothes lying in your closet that you never wear? These clothes could go to a person in need. Start a clothes closet, and families facing financial stress may find one of their main burdens relieved.

While many enjoy the privilege of heated homes, for some winter can be a brutal affair. In the mountains, severe weather conditions may cut out electricity and wood becomes the only source of heat. By collecting and delivering firewood to low income areas or the elderly, you can provide warmth to the body and soul of the needy.

According to the United Nations, there are at least 100 million homeless in the world today. But no matter where we are, the Bible has multiple mandates on helping the poor and hungry, and one effective way is to provide packaged meals to the homeless. Delivering a lunch may not solve homelessness, but it lets our neighbors on the streets know that they are loved and not forgotten.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 3,000 deaths were reported due to exposure to extreme heat from 1999 to 2003. When heat and humidity levels reach dangerous levels, window fans can provide much needed, energy efficient relief.

It is disheartening when a family struggles to put food on the table or worries about from where the next meal will come. Whether it is single parents with hungry children, breadwinners who have lost their jobs, parents who work for a minimum wage, or families with sudden hardships, you and your church can help give them a glimpse of hope by meeting a basic need: food.

Reliable transportation is absolutely essential these days. Those without a functioning vehicle or the means to repair their vehicles may find it difficult to just get to the grocery store to pick up some milk. You can help others in need by providing assistance with repair, maintenance, and acquisition of vehicles for travel.

This is a sizable project that will require lots of time, planning, materials, and volunteers. That being said, this is a great opportunity to open the doors of the church, show your community true hospitality, and offer simple items that can help out local families in tremendous ways.

While it helps greatly to seek donations for food or to glean from crops, having a home or community garden is a fun and cost-effective way to get fresh, healthy food. You may start a family garden ministry at your church, or use available land to provide a community garden.