Helping Hands Ministry, Inc. » Newspaper Articles

The Pilot – March 2, 2004

Tony — Tue, 02 Mar 2004 18:17:19 +0000

Lending a Hand
BY STEVE CRAIN: Special to The Pilot

Tony and Donna Haywood of West End believe in lending a helping hand to those less fortunate.

“A lot of people in Northern Moore County are out of work because of plant closings,” Haywood says. “Helping Hands Ministry has been furnishing some food and clothing to the needy in that area. We try to make a trip with supplies every two weeks.”

Haywood and his wife Donna, members of Grace Church in Southern Pines, founded Helping Hands Ministry (HHM) in June 1996.

“We deliver goods to Mission Agape, a Spanish mission in Robbins,” Haywood, 50, says. “They take care of the distribution. They also have a small church. We supplied turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as sponsoring an angel tree for the children. On Christmas Eve, we delivered toys to the children at the church.” The Haywoods also ship supplies overseas.

“We’ve established a relationship with Compassion Medical, a ministry in Durham,” Haywood says. “One of their members helps get medical supplies for us. These supplies, which would ordinarily be thrown out, consist of samples, ordering mistakes and manufacturing changes.”

In August, Haywood sent a container (a container measures approximately 40′ by 71/2′ by 7 feet) to Honduras.

“Medical supplies valued at $750,000 were shipped in that container — and that’s just the medical supplies,” Haywood says. “Our November shipment contained enough supplies, which were donated by a local cardiologist, to open a heart catherization lab in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. In all, we shipped three containers to Honduras last year.”

HHM also shipped a container containing clothing, shoes, blankets, medical supplies and furniture to a missionary in Romania in 2003.

“And we had a long-standing request from another ministry wanting school furniture,” Haywood says. “Someone in Lexington offered us a building full of furniture, so the other ministry paid the fee for a container. We and some volunteers made the trip to Lexington to help sort furniture and load that container. We shipped it to the Dominican Republic.

“We are now working with a doctor from Sierra Leone. We’ve been collecting medical supplies for him for quite some time. He wants to establish clinics in his country.”

The Haywoods have shipped two ambulances and many types of medical, farm and school supplies since founding their ministry in June 1996. HHM is supported by several churches, and some individual contributors. Haywood reports to an HHM board of directors and works part-time to “pay bills” while donating time to gather and ship donated items. Donna Haywood works at Southeastern Tool and Die Company.

“Like many families, we struggle financially, but God has blessed us,” Haywood says.

When they began their ministry, the Haywoods collected items donated to HHM and stored them at their residence. They now utilize a warehouse, located on the east end of the old Stanley Furniture building in West End.

“I have a lot of volunteers who help me,” Haywood says. “They show up and help load containers, sort through mounds of clothing and medical supplies, help haul dental chairs, furniture, medical supplies and other stuff. They collect stuffed animals, book bags, school supplies, and pat me on the back when it’s been a really bad day.”

Haywood, a lifelong resident of Moore County who was born at Ft. Bragg during the time his father served in Korea, says he gets a good feeling by helping people.

“I get phone calls from places I’ve never heard of,” Haywood says. “Somehow they hear about us and offer supplies. A lot of businesses donate, and we receive dental equipment, hospital and medical supplies from clinics and doctors’ offices.

“HHM is planning a medical trip to Honduras in September. We need people with medical backgrounds to go, but we also need people just to go and help. This will be a hard trip with long hours and not much time for resting.”

Haywood says the trip will cost about $1,200 per person. Call 910-947-5191 to obtain information about the trip or for making financial contributions or donating items to Helping Hands Ministry. Gifts are tax deductible.

The Pilot – October 1, 2003

Tony — Wed, 01 Oct 2003 18:15:36 +0000

Helping Hands Ships Supplies to Honduras

Helping Hands Ministry of West End recently shipped an estimated $750,000 worth of medical supplies to Honduras.

“We shipped a container,” says Tony Haywood. “A container measures approximately 40 by 7½ by 6 feet.”

Haywood, 50, and his wife, Donna, founders of Helping Hands Ministry, say their

shipment included 250 boxes of donated medicines and medical supplies.

“And we sent some wheel-chairs, walkers and gurneys,” Haywood says, “items donated by hospitals, clinics, dental offices and individuals.“

After collecting enough items for a shipment, Haywood asked BKA Logistics of Washington, D.C., to send a container to West End.

“After it arrived, we had two hours to load supplies,” Haywood says, adding that he recruited some “helping hands” and finished loading in 1½ hours. “The container went to Delaware and to Port au Cortez in Honduras. From there it will truck to Comayagua, where Sandi Miller, a missionary which Grace Church in Southern Pines helps sponsor, will distribute the goods as humanitarian aid.”

Last year, the Haywoods ministry sponsored three students who live in a mountainous area outside Comayagua. Each student who graduates from his area’s usual six grades of school, may continue in a 5-year vocational training program for $300 per year.

“We’re looking for more sponsors for more students,” says Donna Haywood.

The Haywoods continually collect medical, school and farm supplies for Honduras and other locations.
Call 910-947-5191 for information.

The Pilot – September 6, 2001

Tony — Thu, 06 Sep 2001 18:12:57 +0000

Second Shipment Off to Earthquake Victims
by Faye M. Dasen: Features Editor

As the doors to the 40-foot container were secured, Mary Jo Morris of Pinehurst could say “goodbye” to the biggest project on her front burner.

Since hearing of the January earthquake that devastated the small country of El Salvador, Morris has been coordinating relief efforts.

The shipment that was packed Wednesday was the second container of supplies sent to help the quake victims as they try to recover.

Morris called out the National Guard for help in loading up the container.

“Sgt. Stanley Hopkins of the National Guard received permission from his colonel to assist us in loading the container,” Morris says. “This is the second time they’ve helped; they are wonderful.”

Other members of the National Guard assisting with the effort were Staff Sgt. David Frances, who just returned from Bosnia, and Pvt. Phillip Tyner.

“This shipment mainly contains medical equipment from hospital beds to examination tables to wheelchairs,” Morris says. “There is enough to outfit an entire medical clinic.”

The medical equipment was donated by Dr. Jim Cleary, a retired physician and by Tony Haywood of Helping Hands Ministry. Tom Smith of FirstHealth arranged for the hospital to donate some medicines to be stocked in the clinic. Dr. Larry Baucom, a local dentist, donated ultrasonic teeth cleaner device called a Cavitron.

“They already have a building they can use for the clinic,” she says.

Other items being shipped range from discarded school equipment and construction supplies to a brand new red bicycle and, of course, additional clothing.

“Betty Wardle, president of the Women of the Chapel, invited me to speak,” says Morris, “and soon Burlin and Janet Lowry came with a truck full of school supplies and Fran Raynor donated that bicycle.”

Morris estimates that, with the additional clothing going in this load, every man, woman and child in Ilopango (the village to which the supplies are headed) will have clothes to wear.

Several members of the landscaping crew at the Country Club of North Carolina, headed by Richard Gratton, also lent a hand with loading the heavy medical equipment. Mitchell Garner, Luis Romeio and Jorge Alvarada, a former resident of El Salvador, rounded out that team.

“Toby Johnson, president of the Moore County Home Builders, dropped what he was doing to come help, and Tim Bailey of Sanders Supply manned the forklift,” says Morris.

Others helping pack the container Wednesday included Janet Lowry of Pinehurst, Mary and Bob Morris of CCNC and Dean Holzgraf of Belle Meade.

“I couldn’t have done without Hampton Johnson,” says Morris. “He helped load, clean up and take away the trash.”

An article about Morris’ relief effort appeared in The Pilot in March just as the first shipment was being packed.

“The people who contributed this time responded to the article written by Tim Wilkins,” she says. “This effort came from across the county.”

Dale Crisp and Beth Dent roused the Woodlake area to action and collected a full van of items. Others involved included the Kiwanis Club, John and Margaret White of John’s Barbecue, Betsy and Mike Short, Curves and Hill Realty.

“McDonald Brothers put up a sign in their store and their employees brought in toys,” says Morris.

Earlier this year, local travel writer Voit Gilmore wrote an essay about her work and entered it in a competition sponsored by Princess Cruise Lines in celebration of its newest ship.

“I got a call recently in which I learned I was one of 50 winners who will get a short trip on the maiden voyage,” she says. “I was really embarrassed because I feel like I didn’t do that much.”

She says she plans to use the trip as an opportunity to speak out about the efforts of the people of the Sandhills.

“Only in Moore County could this have been accomplished,” says Morris. “I think we are fortunate that we live in a community in which we are encouraged to speak out and help out.”