Chicago, Illinois … The December morning was cold, overcast, and near freezing with the possibility of icing on the roadway. In spite of these conditions, the cars left southern Wisconsin and central Indiana in order to meet south of Chicago and transfer large bags filled with supplies for Malawi. The bags included over 150 back-packs for both adults and children, 2,000 vinyl gloves for medical personnel, 75 notebooks, 1,000 toothbrushes, and numerous reading glasses. The retail price of the backpacks alone ranged from $14.95 to $29.95.
The two vehicles pulled side by side and the exchange moved quickly due to the brisk, cold conditions. Everyone wore masks to help protect against Covid and they actually provided some relief against the winter weather. Cheryl, the Walmart and Swiss Colony employee who made these wonderful donations possible, and her friend Jessie, took less than 20 minutes to transfer the items to the vehicle that would head back to Lebanon, the central Indiana warehouse location for the Malawi Project.
Who is Cheryl? She is simply a warmhearted, generous, and hard-working person that holds down two jobs trying to make ends meet. She also has a heart for helping those that are struggling more than she is, and that has led her to help hundreds of people in Malawi. How does she do it? She watches the sales at the local Walmart where she is employed! When items that are needed by the Malawians go on sale, and the price has reached their final clearance prices, she purchases the remaining stock. Backpacks, gloves, pencils, and paper – these immediately improve the lives of their eventual recipients.
Observes Bryon Bhagwandin, Chairman of the Malawi Project’s Board of Directors, “Looking out for the poor in Malawi does not always require large outlays of funds. It simply needs people committed to helping others, seeing the opportunities around them, and being willing to commit some ingenuity and perseverance as Cheryl is doing. We are proud to have people like her on our team”
Pictured left to right: Jessie, Suzi and Cheryl transferring supplies for Malawi.
