Week 7 – Matthew 25 Ministries – “A Disaster Relief Powerhouse.”

When I first learned about this charity based in greater Cincinnati, I quickly realized that I could only detail a small portion of the impact that it makes on its local residents as well as the US and many international countries. With over 60,000 volunteers, this 501c3 deploys 99% of its revenue on program expenses and brings aid to so many in need, especially during natural disasters. Its impact does not stop there as M25M continuously provides humanitarian aid throughout the world. Additionally, M25M has a philosophy of protecting our environment by utilizing and repurposing gently used items that are destined for the landfills. M25M is caring for those in need with the things we throw way.

Matthew 25:Ministries (M25M) began as the result of a trip Founder Rev. Wendell Mettey made with a group of doctors and nurses to Nicaragua in 1990. After seeing the seemingly endless poverty and devastation, Rev. Mettey made a promise to himself that he would find a way to help the people of Nicaragua and others in similar need. Upon returning, he developed a system to recover excess products which were deemed no longer useful by individuals and U.S. corporations, and redistribute these items to people in desperate poverty around the world.

In the early days, supplies were carried to Nicaragua in suitcases, then aboard United States Air Force cargo planes. Now aid is shipped via forty-foot seagoing containers and semi-trailers to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims. Since 1991, M25M has grown from a small suitcase ministry to an international relief organization distributing over 15 million pounds of products each year. In total, M25M has sent more than 200 million pounds of aid across the United States and into more than sixty countries worldwide.

How M25M helps:

1. Humanitarian

M25M provides humanitarian aid to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims by collecting product donations from corporations, organizations, and individuals. With the help of volunteers, M25M evaluates, sorts, and processes these donated items before shipping them to people in need.

In order to reach as many people as possible, M25M partners with non-profit organizations in the recipient locations. M25M works with more than 40 organizations in the Greater Cincinnati area, groups throughout the United States, and partners in over 70 countries worldwide.

2. Disaster Relief

M25M’s focus during disasters is typically on moving large amounts of critically needed aid into an affected area. When the Disaster Response Team deploys, it utilizes a fleet of specialty vehicles to distribute initial loads of aid and sets up distribution channels through partner organizations for future shipments. In 2020 and 2021 so far, M25M has helped bring disaster relief to those areas affected by Hurricane Iota, Eta, and Zeta as well as in Kentucky during the flooding and Texas during the winter storm.

3. In-House Manufacturing, Assembling and Blending Humanitarian Aid Products

Rainbow Paint Blending Program

Prasco Food Processing Center

Notebook Manufacturing Center

Write Your Future Pencil Program

M25M is always seeking additional opportunities to increase its impact on the poor of the world. It supplements outside donations by manufacturing, assembling, repurposing and reblending products in-house at its facility in Blue Ash, Ohio. Many of these internal manufacturing programs were developed in direct response to under-met needs of recipients.

These programs provide consistent access to frequently-requested items such as nutritious, easy-to-prepare food, basic educational materials like school notebooks and pencils, and long-lasting building materials like durable latex paint. Additionally, these programs often creatively repurpose products destined for the landfill or incineration facility, thus protecting and improving our environment.

How you can Help:

1. Individual Product Donations-Consider what you might throw away

First aid and medical supplies/personal care and hygiene supplies/cleaning supplies/school supplies/new and gently used clothing/baby products/latex paint

For example, empty plastic pill bottles are included in shipments of medical supplies and for shredding and recycling. The pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment.

2. Corporate donations (returned, overstocked, slightly damaged, off-spec, or other distressed products (in bulk or package form).

3. Collections or fundraisers as a group

4. Volunteer (M25M is located in greater Cincinnati, OH)

5. Financial donation

6. “Shop for a Cause” programs (Amazon Smile)