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Trinity Episcopal Church 44 East Market St. Bethlehem PA  18018-5989 610-867-4741

The Container Project

On March 3rd 2001, a number of groups in the Bethlehem area came together to load an ocean going container with supplies for the Swazi Hospice at Home Program.

Some back ground information: (click here for more info.) The Swaziland AIDS 2001 Hospice Project The goal of the Project is to provide for a 12 month period: · essential hospice supplies for 3 hospice organizations · the cost of palliative medicine for Swaziland Hospice at Home Essential supplies for Hospice organizations
In response to requests from the three Swazi hospice organizations to provide supplies for the rapidly growing number of hospice patients, many individuals and organizations are extending support to collect and to ship donated hospice supplies and to seek funds for palliative medicine. These include the Rotary Club of Bethlehem, St Lukes Hospital, the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Trinity Episcopal Church, Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem Council of Churches, other pastors and congregations from several denominations, and interested individuals. The Rotary Club of Bethlehem is providing a large ocean freight container, arranging for shipment and will cover the shipping costs to Swaziland. In Swaziland, two Rotary Clubs and the Anglican Diocese of Swaziland will coordinate the receipt of the container and distribution of the supplies. The supplies being sent are: Donated hospice supplies - for use by those who care for hospice patients in community settings. Supplies will be donated by health personnel and health organizations Donated Comfort Packs - to provide basic needs for the comfort individual hospice patients Target is 1200 Packs Donations of money for medicine - to provide palliative medications for hospice patients. Target is $12,000 for the purchase of medicine in Swaziland. Medicine will be used by Swaziland Hospice at Home to care for the estimated 500 patients who will receive hospice care during 2001. These items were collected through the months of January and February in local churches and busineses and brought to Trinity Episcopal Church and the Widow's House of the Moravian College. The Rev. Nick Knisely and The Rev. Dave Henkelman were the coordinators of the collection at the two sites. On March 3rd volunteers from Trinity Episcopal Church in Bethlehem, Trinity Episcopal Church Youth Group, Youth as Resources from St. Luke's Hospital, Staff from the Community Health Department and Rotarians from the Bethlehem PA club gathered to load the comfort packs, medical supplies and other items into the container for shipment to Swaziland. (Port of Elizabeth, NJ, USA to Durban, South Africa to Mbabane, Swaziland.) Here are some pictures from the day. Loading the truck with packs from Trinity Church (Rotary members and Trinity Youth) Gathering up the first load of packs from the Widow's House, and some of our Volunteers on a cold winter day. Loading the Container at St. Luke's Hospital... the team on the left won the race... Trinity Youth Group inside the container- all of them got out before we shipped! Here's the container itself. Keep an eye out for it. June 2001 Update The container has now arrived in Mbabane, Swaziland. Maggie Land writes that money from the diocese is being used by three different organizations that are directly or indirectly affected by HIV/AIDS. 1) Pat Wright and her AIDS program. 2) Swaziland Hospice at Home Program (medicines) (the program is also the recipient of the comfort packs and sweaters recently sent in the container). 3) Sr. Carole, Jacaranda House, with 16 girls, abused, orphaned, many of them, by AIDS