Ohio-based Matthew 25: Ministries will help Clean the World deliver soaps, bottled amenities and water to Japan
Clean the World (http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/) and Matthew 25: Ministries (http://www.m25m.org/) are collaborating on an ambitious effort to get hygiene supplies into the earthquake and tsunami-stricken regions of Japan.
And the relief cannot come soon enough for the Japanese people in this region. Click here to help.
Another earthquake rocked Northeastern sections of Japan today. The 7.4-magnitude quake, one of many aftershocks that have followed the major quake on March 11, triggered a new tsunami warning for Japan, and brought the plight of the Japanese people back into world focus.
Orlando-based Clean the World, which recycles hotel soaps and bottled amenities for people in need, has partnered to work with Ohio-based Matthew 25: Ministries, a non-denominational, humanitarian aid organization, to transport soap, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, bottled water and other hygiene supplies to alleviate suffering for the victims of Japan’s multiple disasters and other disasters worldwide.
Matthew 25: Ministries is preparing many kinds of disaster relief for Japan, including food from its own Food Processing Center, blankets, cleaning supplies and first-aid supplies, as well as personal care or hygiene kits.
“We’ve wanted to get supplies into Japan ever since the first news broke of the March 11 earthquake, but the Japanese government requested only financial help,” says Shawn Seipler, executive director of Clean the World. “We have such tremendous hygiene resources available here, courtesy of our nearly 900 hotel partners in North America. Now that we have this opportunity to get the goods into Japan, we have to seize upon it to help people who are hurting.”
Clean the World reached out to Matthew 25: Ministries after learning that the organization had mobilized to prepare hygiene kits in Ohio for distribution in Japan.
“We knew that our soaps would be an ideal fit for those hygiene kits, and so are the bottled amenities,” Seipler says. “Children and families can receive soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help provide comfort when dealing with unsanitary conditions as a result of the earthquakes and tsunami. Sometimes getting clean is the first step toward getting healthy and getting stronger in the face of tragedy. We just want to help however possible.”
Clean the World intends to fill a truck full of donated and recycled hygiene supplies and drive that truck to Matthew 25: Ministries headquarters in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio. The products may be packaged in hygiene kits and will be placed in containers, along with other relief items, including pallets of spring water, and will be flown or sent via cargo ship to the hardest-hit areas of Japan.
The relief effort is reminiscent of what Clean the World did for Haiti following the 2010 earthquake in that Caribbean nation. The organization will rely on generous and continuing donations from its database of supporters to help finance and fortify this relief effort, and ensure that the maximum amount of hygiene products will reach their final destination in Japan.
“We’ve been through this drill before, so we can draw upon that experience,” Seipler says. “We’re grateful to find a partner like Matthew 25: Ministries to help with this effort.”
Watching tragic events unfold around the globe, particularly as the result of natural disaster, helps sharpen the focus of Clean the World’s mission to save lives by promoting better hygiene.
“In times of crisis we are all called upon to do a little more for the common good,” Seipler says. “I’m asking all of our supporters to begin soap donations in their communities and increase financial contributions to help advance our hygiene revolution. We can’t do it without your help, but we’ll do all we can to help people improve their living conditions and stop the spread of preventable diseases with soap. That was our mission yesterday; it remains our mission today, and will be our mission tomorrow – in Japan, Haiti, the United States and all around the world.”
Financial donations to Clean the World are greatly appreciated and may be made online at this link: http://localhost:8888/cleantheworld/donate-money.asp
Soap donations are also encouraged and should be sent to the following address:
Clean the World
400A Pittman St.
Orlando, FL 32801
Please pray for the people of Japan and all who suffer from natural disasters and lack of access to hygiene supplies. Thanks for helping Clean the World.
