February 26, 2009

ELGIN, IL – Grants have gone out from two Church of the Brethren funds – the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) and the Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) – to respond to disaster and hunger domestically within the US as well as in Kenya, Liberia, and Darfur, Sudan.

International grants include:

• $40,000 from the EDF to support a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for continuing humanitarian needs in the Darfur region of Sudan;

• $30,000 from the EDF for a CWS appeal following a declaration of famine from the government of Kenya, where an estimated 10 million people are affected; and

• a GFCF grant of $5,000 to assist Church Aid Inc., in a program of seed distribution and skill training in Liberia.

Domestic grants include:

• $35,000 from the EDF for an ongoing Brethren Disaster Ministries project in Johnson County, Ind., following heavy rains and flooding last year;

• an EDF allocation of $10,000 for the Brethren Disaster Ministries program in Rushford, Minn., repairing and rebuilding homes of flood survivors;

• an EDF allocation of $5,000 supporting a CWS appeal after a destructive spring storm season across the US in 2008; and

• a grant of $5,000 from the EDF to assist people who are ineligible for federal funding following major flooding in Hawaii, aiding work by the Hawaii State VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster).

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Church of the Brethren News Service