Wednesday, September 28, 2016
By LINDA M. LINONIS
linonis@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Those who take monthly prescription medicines know how quickly empty pill bottles add up.
Some places recycle, so that’s a way to dispose of them responsibly.
The congregation of Martin Luther Lutheran Church, 420 Clearmount Drive, collects used pill bottles for a project that keeps the containers out of landfills and reaches out to help people in Africa. It’s a small project demonstrating that every positive effort has a beneficial outcome.
Lu Ann Vesy, church secretary, said information on the Malawi Project came to the church email about a year ago. The church newsletter, Martin Luther News, provided information on the nonprofit humanitarian organization.
The Malawi Project (www.malawiproject.org) began about 20 years ago and focuses on agriculture, education, medicine and leadership development. One of its efforts was collecting used pill bottles to recycle for use in Africa, where plastic containers for medicine are in short supply. Information on the project noted that pharmacies and hospitals in Malawi often distributed pills in pieces of paper. In the hot climate, medicine could easily be affected by humidity and exposure to the elements.
“We have an older congregation who could easily contribute to this project,” Vesy said. “Before the containers might have gone to waste, now they help someone.”
Vesy said a flier went up next to a collection basket in the fellowship hall. Donors were asked to boil the pill bottles to remove labels and wash away any residue of medicine, she said.
Vesy said she waits until the collection numbers about 300 bottles and then ships them. With the most recent shipment, the church has sent five boxes. “We do what we can here,” Vesy said. “We try to help in the community and beyond our Valley.”
She said this project and others at the church are in tune with its mission statement: “Share the love of Jesus Christ in Word and Deed with each other, our neighborhood, community and beyond.”
“There’s a double benefit to this ... it helps people who are in need and helps the planet,” Vesy said. “We can’t fix everything, but we can do small things that make a difference.”
And, the church secretary added, “This is easy to do and makes you feel good.”
Vesy said the Malawi Project is one of many that the church supports including Bondage Busters, an after-school program for youths; and Hope for Newport Community Garden, which teaches young participants about gardening and adds green space to the neighborhood. The church also donates to Camp Frederick and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America projects.
Recently, the Malawi Project discontinued its collection of pill bottles but referred contributors to the Matthew 25: Ministries in Cincinnati, which works with organizations in the United States and in more than 60 countries worldwide. That program sends supplies to the “poorest of the poor and disaster victims.” Its website, www.m25m.org, notes the “pill bottle program fulfills the dual needs of improving medical care in developing countries and caring for our environment.”
Vesy said the church would continue the collection for Matthew 25: Ministries.