This year at the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, Penny Power has raised $29,251, a preliminary figure that will grow when matches are totaled and monies sent after the relief sale are counted. The funds that this successful annual campaign has raised will be divided equally between projects Mennonite Central Committee (http://www NULL.mcc NULL.org) (MCC) and Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM).
The project of MCC will build sand dams in Tanzania, a low-cost technology to harvest rainwater, a clean, local water supply for homes and farming.
VMM will use its portion of the money to dig water wells in Haiti for fresh, clean water. Especially in the aftermath of the devastating 2009 earthquake, clean water is desperately needed. VMM is training Haitians to operate the well-digging equipment. The cost of drilling each well is approximately $7,000. Some partner churches or other mission groups can afford to cover part of the cost. When that happens, more wells can be developed.
Update: a list of churches and organizations that contributed to Penny Power (and their amounts) is coming soon, as well as an updated total including match gifts and post-relief sale contributions.
