Editor’s Note:
It started with a brief email on November 16, 2015. In part it read, “My name is Molly and I started collecting pill containers* for the Malawi Project three weeks ago in three churches, my school, … Could I please, just like any group or organization, ship the containers during the first two weeks of January?”
NOTE: THE PILL CONTAINER PROGRAM HAS ENDED.
The next email came on January 12, 2016, just three days before the program ended. It read, in part, “I would like to thank you for this outstanding opportunity of keeping the medicine bottles out of the landfills and helping people at the same time! Thank you for leading this wonderful project. Your hard work is appreciated and I am looking forward to assisting in the future… I was able to collect 8,818 pill containers.”
We asked 15-year-old Molly to tell her story as we feel it will be inspiring to young and old alike wherever good and kind people care about helping others. She agreed and here is a short recap of what she calls “her journey.”
“During the month of October, I began researching different possible charity drives that I could participate in. The Malawi Project stuck out to me for a variety of reasons. First of all, it further developed on my aspirations of becoming a doctor and helping those less fortunate around the world. However, what most caught my attention was the fact that it took such a common household object and turned it into something valuable for those in need.
I began this amazing experience by reaching out to various establishments in my community. I first spoke to the head priest of Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, the parish I regularly attend, and he allowed me to begin spreading the awareness of my mission to other parishioners. After hearing about this, St. James’s Episcopal Church gladly adopted the Malawi Project as well. As soon as I spoke to my neighbors and family members about the churches’ adaptation, the project expanded even more to include various gyms, social groups, and pharmacies. Additionally, I established this drive at various places where I volunteer during my free time, including Heath Village Retirement Community and Hackettstown Hospital. Each weekend the collection bins at these locations were filled! As the Malawi Project began gaining momentum, I decided to reach out to various newspapers and radio stations. With the help of the articles published in the Express Times, the Warren Reporter, and also a live interview with WRNJ radio, people all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania were contacting me about their willingness to help. I was soon receiving packages containing not only pill bottles, but personal letters and gifts.
With the plethora of pill containers piling up in my garage, I knew I needed to find a way to ship them to the Malawi Project office in Indianapolis. I then wrote a letter inquiring family members, friends, neighbors and even my orthopedist, for donations. When a sufficient amount of money was raised I contacted a local shipment company, Pitt Ohio, who gladly said they would transport the containers we had collected. My older brother Milosz, who works for a company named Falcon Industries, Inc in Somerset, willingly accepted the challenge of preparing the shipment to ensure safe delivery of every single container. I spent my Christmas break sorting through, examining, cleaning and packing the prescription bottles, which totaled 37 boxes. These packages were eventually sent off by Falcon Industries in two pallets, and arrived at the Malawi headquarters on January 13th.
All in all, I collected 8,818 prescription containers. I never imagined I would receive such an outpour of support from such a small community and achieve such an unimaginable success. From this experience I’ve truly learned not to take what I have for granted, because even the smallest things can have a monumental impact in someone’s life. My world-view has been transformed and it warms my heart that this project will touch so many people. I one day hope to be able to travel to Malawi and many countries like it, and provide my time and assistance for those who need it most.”
– Molly
* The Malawi Pill Container Collection Program ended on January 15, 2016.
