HAITI :: Seeing Stars buys food!

Original Zentangle Inspired Art (ZIA) by Cris

Posting so many thanks today is making Christmas Eve feel more like Thanksgiving. 

In that spirit, thanks to Cris Letourneau for her creative idea to support the food drive! She recently published an e-book and is giving a portion of the sales to TRTP. 

"My goal is to raise $500 and we are almost there! To date, I have $396 to send to the kids. That includes book sales to people in 27 different states, 5 countries, and 3 continents!" ~ Cris

If you are interested in seeing (or ordering!) Cris's book, click here and help feed the kids!

HAITI :: Thank you, 3 Birds Boutique!

Ashley, 3 Birds proprietor, and family

A big thank you to 3 Birds Boutique for their recent donation! The boutique gives a portion of the business proceeds to our medical program in Haiti, bringing care to those who wouldn't otherwise receive it. Proprietor, Ashley, shares her personal story of family medical challenges and why she has chosen to support The Red Thread. 

Thank you, 3 Birds!

HAITI :: Non-traditional gift exchange

The great ideas just keep coming! 

A class of Texas students opted for a non-traditional gift exchange this Christmas. Instead of buying gifts for one another, each was challenged to donate $3 to the St. Vincent's food drive. The kids raised $127 which was matched by the Williamson family. That's 305 meals given by one group of students for another group. 

Bless those young hearts!

HAITI :: 9,063 thank you's!

We are so so thankful to share how wonderful our supporters are. Your generous spirits are glowing as we report that over the course of 8 days, together we have raised $7,552 to buy food for St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children in Haiti. 

That, friends, is absolutely amazing.

With these funds we can purchase food for over one month to feed the residential kids and staff at St. Vincent's. Because of your support, we are able to provide THREE meals a day for that time and then some!

Our goal is two full months of food and we are well on our way to achieving that goal. 

We'd like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has participated in the food drive thus far. Donors stretch across the United States to Canada and all the way to the Netherlands. The word is spreading and we thank you for your continued support.

• Tina T.
• Debra P.
• John L.
• Teresa C.
• Robin L.
• Eric M.
• Alison S.
• Stephen F.
• Randa F.
• Marc P.
• Dina P.
• Allyson P.
• Cinda C.
• Sherl O.
• Alicia F.
• Julie M.
• Bruce J.
• Michael S.
• Lenni M.
• Kathy A.
• Patricia M.
• Bradley H.
• Jane M.
• Jennifer T.
• Kelley K.
• Adela H.
• Robert S.
• Richard + Karen Y.
• Morna S.
• Ann R.
• Barb R.
• Robert S.
• Jordan
• Hana Y.
• Doug Y.
• Eric B.
• Greg + Annie K.
• Ellen G.
• Ann B.
• Lauri F.

The Red Thread is so blessed to have people like YOU following our progress on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and giving as you are able. If you'd like to help, please send your tax-deductible donation (memo line: food) via PayPal or check to:

The Red Thread Promise

249 N Belfield Ave

Havertown, PA 19083

Attn: Kathy Korge Albergate

HAITI :: Wonky math

Yes, friends, our 800 number from yesterday was wrong. But wrong in a GOOD way. We've actually sent enough $$$ to date to purchase 2,400 meals for the kids at St. Vincent's! 

Sometimes, it's good to be wrong!

HAITI :: 800 meals and counting!

and counting!!!

Your response to the food crisis at St. Vincent's has been amazing! We are thrilled to share that in only a few days, we have already raised and sent $2,000 to St. Vincent's. That translates into 800 meals, friends.

What's more? Tina, a supporter from Texas, travelled with us to St. Vincent's this past summer and was able to spend a week with the kids these funds will feed. She has offered to match donations up to $2,375 (total). These kids are near and dear to her heart and we are thankful for her generous offer.

Tina and Elisme, a residential student at St. Vincent's

Let's take Tina up on her offer. Let's max out her matching donations and keep going! If we combine the funds already raised + another $2,375 + the matching funds, we will feed ALL residential students and staff for one month, thus meeting The Red Thread's short-term goal. 

Our long-term goal is to feed the kids for two months. The math is simple: $.83 per meal...less than what most Americans spend on a cup of coffee. 

We are thankful for private donors as well as our partners at West Tennessee Haiti Partnership and Friends of St. Vincent's who are working toward the same goal - feeding those precious kids! It is wonderful to see everyone coming. 

The Red Thread is so blessed to have people like YOU following our progress on our blog, Facebook, Twitter and giving as you are able. If you'd like to help, please send your tax-deductible donation (memo line: food) via PayPal or check to:

The Red Thread Promise

249 N Belfield Ave

Havertown, PA 19083

Attn: Kathy Korge Albergate

HAITI :: Food crisis at St. Vincent's escalates

Have you ever tried to write something but the message is so upsetting that you can't get the words out adequately? That's the way we feel now as we share the severity of the food shortage at St Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children, our partner in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Ever since a large international agency stopped supplying food to the Center without explanation, St. Vincent's administration has been working diligently to find a sustainable solution. Expenses have been drastically reduced and all available funds used toward food. 

This critical shortage has even forced them to restructure who they feed and when. (Author’s note: I can NOT even fathom having to make these kind of decisions.) The current situation only provides food for 76 residential students and 10 residential staff on a rotating schedule. Loosely translated, that means they don’t get 3 simple meals of beans and rice every day – some days they do, but many times they do not.

Tragically, the Center's electricity was recently cutoff as they are unable to pay the growing debt. Instead, they have diverted those funds to buy beans and rice to feed the students.

In a recent correspondence, Father Sadoni, Director of St. Vincent's, stated:

Occasionally an agency gives us some rice and beans, but it is not enough to operate the Center. We have re-approached other agencies but without success. We are now truly breathless. All St. Vincent's input is spending in the food program. At the time I wrote this report to you, there is no electricity at St. Vincent's. We don't have enough money to pay the current debt. This is the first time since my ascent to the management of the Center that I find myself in such a situation. Despite these problems, I keep hoping that one day St. Vincent's will meet its needs and that there will be no debt to pay. And we could easily feed our children.

Our hearts are broken to hear this. Our compassion brings us to action. So we are going to DO SOMETHING. 

We are asking 2 things of each and every Red Thread supporter:

1. SHARE this message. Tell others of the need. Show them the pictures of St. Vincent’s kids from our blog / website / Facebook / Instagram. If each of us shared this message with 10 friends / co-workers, what a difference we could make!!!
2. GIVE something. Donations of any size help! It costs approximately $6000 to feed all residential staff and students for 1 full month, 3 meals per day. That breaks down as such: $2.50 feeds 1 person 3 meals per day. (Author’s note: you can’t even go to McDonald’s for ONE meal for $2.50!) 

NO ONE should go without sufficient food – ever. Let’s do our part to feed the kids and start 2014 on a positive note for our brothers and sisters at St. Vincent’s.

Donations can be made via PayPal through our website or via check. Checks may be sent to:
The Red Thread Promise
249 N Belfield Ave
Havertown, PA 19083
Attn: Kathy Korge Albergate

Thank you!