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Students raise money through church for Heifer International


Lane Riggs

Staff Writer

Heifer International has one goal: to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the earth. In the same vein of this goal, Uvalde 4-H students partnered with First United Methodist Church of Uvalde to raise $5,000, which Heifer International  then matched with $5,000, raising the grand total to $10,000. The students involved in this project received a plaque that credited them for the $10,000.

Students involved were Mackenzie Pitts, Morgan Dreyer, Anna Cate Walker, Brinlee Goggans, Koben Sanchez, Hannah Smith, McCoy Smith and Hope Smith.

Though Heifer International has been around for awhile – ever since founder and farmer Dan West’s initial goal to provide relief at the front lines of the Spanish Civil War sparked the idea – Mackenzie Pitts and her grandmother Merry Dee Pitts had not heard of it before.

“The First United Methodist Church gives offerings to Heifer, and that was how we first heard of it,” Merry Dee Pitts said. “We have since worked through the church for five or six years to make donations to Heifer.”

As Dan West found out on the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, where he was working as an aid worker, meager rations were not enough. The single cup rationed to weary refugees once a day during wartime was not enough for West. Instead, he thought it would be better to give refugees a cow, rather than a cup of milk.

Since then, Heifer International has worked to bring sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. After finding a family in these areas, Heifer International will train them and help them learn how to care for their animals and create crops. The animals are partners with food and reliable income, as products like milk, eggs, and honey can be traded or sold at market.

“It’s really a very, very good program,” Pitts said. “These families get to raise an animal, sometimes two animals, and then they get to breed them and profit off of it.”

Because Heifer International offers so many opportunities, there is also the opportunity of “passing on the gift.”

“You can pass on the gift by giving animals to someone else and by training that family how to prosper the same way you did,” Pitts said.

Mackenzie, who mentioned the idea of raising money for Heifer International, was able to give a presentation which ultimately got other students involved.

“She had a main meeting with the junior club of 4-H, and they were all interested, they all thought it was great,” Pitts said. “Then she gave a presentation for the senior club, after she was asked to, and they wanted to help.”

At first, the groups were looking at buying and providing a goat for a family – valued at $120. However, they soon decided on buying an “ark,” which includes two water buffalos, two cows, two sheep, and two goats, along with bees, chicks, rabbits and more. An “ark” will help care for entire communities with milk, eggs, honey and wool; provide income by supplying an abundance of goods to sell; sustain farming by providing livestock to work the land; and improve the lives of families for generations by multiplying and passing on the gift. This donation travels around the world, from Africa to Asia, Europe and the Americas.

“We started collecting for the ark as soon as they decided, and we just finished a couple of weeks ago,” Pitts said. “The kids earned $5,000, but they got credit for $10,000. They were sent a plaque for their work.”

The amount raised by the groups is helping Heifer International towards its goal to help families achieve self-reliance.

“Almost everyone we talked to was interested in donating and shared,” Pitts said.

Through raising the money, the students realized how much it meant not just to them but also to those who they have helped.

“This is an agriculturally focused town, so it’s important to give back,” Hannah Smith said.

Mackenzie Pitts also mentioned how important it was.

“It was great to help so many people,” she said, “especially when we had such a small group working towards raising the goal.”

Through working with 4-H, the young children already understood what it meant to take care of animals.

“They know what it takes to feed and care for animals,” Merry Dee Pitts said. “All we did was give them the information, and they pretty much did all the work themselves. They’re very good presenters.”

The students hope to participate in the project next year, and they also hope to get more people involved.

“It would be great to get more people involved, and to be able to reach more groups,” Hannah Smith said.

Others in the group hope to introduce the organization to more students through presentations at 4-H.

“We could tell friends and family to tell their friends and family and reach more people that way,” McCoy Smith said.

While working on the project, the students realized things about themselves.

“It made me realize how much you take for granted,” Hannah said.

By raising $10,000, many of the students are excited about their achievements.

“We were only raising money for a year, and that is a lot of money to raise in such a short time,” Hannah said.

Similarly, Merry Dee Pitts said the project was blessed.

“It was a God-honored project, that they were able to match the program and raise so much,” Pitts said. “The kids’ hearts were in the right place.”

Although they were able to raise the money, the group said they wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help they received.

“We got a lot of help from people in town,” Morgan Dryer said. “Uvalde is a very generous community.”

lriggs@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335

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