Lebanon, Indiana … For months Jim Messenger, a member of the Malawi Project’s Board of Directors, and his son-in-law, Lowell Miller, a teacher in the Lebanon Elementary School System gathered and boxed used schoolbooks and supplies. They were joined by Thorntown residents Theresa and Marvin Hayden, and Sheila and Doug McDonald, who gathered books and supplies from the Thorntown School System. During that time over 11,000 pounds of books and supplies were joined by over 49,000 pounds of medical supplies and other resources that arrived in Lebanon from other parts of the U.S. and Canada. They would be sent to the impoverished nation of Malawi in Central Africa.
As these supplies were being prepared, much of it was being done in the homes and garages of these families, the Lebanon Parks Department loaned them an old auto dealership building scheduled for destruction in a few weeks. By the first of February two shipments of supplies were prepared and ready to ship to Malawi. The only thing remaining was to load 60,000 pounds of supplies onto two 40-foot trailers, a tedious and time-consuming job at best.
Again, as with the empty building, members of the Parks Department, led by John Messenger, stepped up to help. Arriving early in the morning on February 5th and the 27th they made short work of the loading process, loading both trailers in record time. Each trailer then returned to Chicago to begin their journey to Malawi.
For over a quarter of a century agricultural, educational and medical supplies have been sent to Malawi schools, hospitals, and farm cooperatives throughout this African nation. Malawi is a peaceful nation that has never invaded a neighbor yet in spite of their kind, gentle nature they are listed as one of the poorest nations on earth. The Malawi Project is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization chartered in the state of Indiana.
For more pictures of these shipments being loaded on the trailer, go to: www.flickr.com/photos/malawiproject