By Karen Kennedy-Hall
Shepherd of the Hills DOK Esther Chapter

Members and friends of the Daughters of the King Esther Chapter at Shepherd of the Hills, Lecanto, gathered on July 10 at Chapter President Cathy Allen’s home to load 78 banana-sized boxes, filled with donated medical supplies onto a truck. The supplies were headed for the 2016 Jamaica Medical Mission, this year’s annual project of the Diocese of Central Florida DOK.

Daughters of the King Esther Chapter at Shepherd of the Hills in Lecanto and friends helped to load a truck filled with 78 large boxes filled with medical supplies for the Diocese DOK Jamaican Medical Mission. They are (bottom from left) Dennis Hall, Rich Allen, Esther Chapter President Cathy Allen, Mission Coordinator Stuart Mowatt, Esther Chapter Karen and Mel Black. Also helping to load the truck are (top, from left) Ron Vedder and his wife, Herma, and (not sure of the identity of the woman in the back)

The 25½ year Mission is sponsored by St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg. Stuart Mowatt, the Mission’s coordinator, who was on hand to pick up the supplies, said each year volunteers travel at their own expense to Port Maria, Jamaica, West Indies, where a make-shift clinic is set up at St. Mary’s Parish. The clinic offers free medical care, medications and personal care items for the poor in Port Maria and the surrounding communities. During the 2015 Mission, 1,565 people received care from about 50 volunteers including doctors, dentists, registered nurses, optometrists, lab technicians and lay people. The clinic specializes in internal medicine, OB-GYN, pediatrics, dentistry and eye care.

The truck is packed with 78 banana boxes filled with about 3,000 pounds of medical supplies collected by DOK Esther Chapter members. The supplies are heading to Jamaica for the Diocese’s DOK Outreach Medical Project.

“The Esther Chapter … has donated a ‘rich blessing’ of over-the-counter medications and medical supplies totaling approximately 3,000 pounds,” said Mowatt in an e-mail. The supplies are currently being prepared for shipping to Jamaica for the upcoming Mission from Jan. 25 through Feb. 1, 2016. “We serve in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Diocese DOK Outreach Chairwoman Dorothy Vedder said she is confident the supplies will serve a huge need for the Mission. “Without question, we all are doing God’s work ─ not only as we send our medical people and other volunteers to work there but that we provide medications and other important supplies that these people need for the whole year.”

Stuart Mowatt (left) hands a box filled with medical supplies to Ron Vedder. The supplies were collected by DOK Esther Chapter of Shepherd of the Hills, Lecanto, and donated to the DOK Diocese Jamaica Medical Mission.

Local President Allen said six weeks ago, Esther Chapter collected 10 banana boxes measuring 16 inches by 20 inches by 10 inches of supplies and medications. “It wasn’t a lot but it was a start,” she said. After speaking with Vedder and Mowatt, she was told Jamaica did not accept expired over-the-counter medical supplies. As she and her husband went through the 10 boxes, they discovered many were expired.

“I was feeling a little deflated because so much was not usable but hopeful we could still pull this off,” she said. “We decided to reach out and look for donations outside Shepherd of the Hills Church.

Three weeks later after many prayers, 16 pallets of medical supplies and over-the-counter medicines were delivered to her home. “ ‘Praise God from whom all Blessings Flow …’ This was truly a heaven-sent windfall. We had no clue when we got the call of how much was there,” she said.

Cathy Allen (left), president of DOK Esther Chapter at Shepherd of the Hills, Lecanto, and Leslie Palmer sorted 16 pallets of medical supplies that were donated to the chapter for the DOK Diocese Jamaica Medical Mission.

Chapter members were then faced with the task of sorting out any medications that would expire before 2016.
“It took 7 days to unpack, sort, repack and mark the boxes. The Daughters came together and got the job done.”
She said the supplies included not only OTC medicines but feminine products, blood pressure cuffs, heating pads, glucose screening kits, canes, all types of bandages and gauze dressings, vaporizers, regular and battery-operated toothbrushes, toothpaste, medical gloves, cotton ball swabs, eye glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen, plastic zip-lock bags. There were also children’s supplies such as pens, pencils, crayons and coloring books.

”You know what happens when the Holy Spirit moves someone or a group to reach out in Faith and then ‘wait’ for the answer? That’s what our Shepherd of the Hills, DOK Esther Chapter did in looking for ways to help the Jamaica Medical Mission for 2016,” Allen said.

Diocese Outreach Chairwoman Vedder said she is so thankful for the (Esther) Chapter’s hard work in sorting and packing all this material. And kudos to Cathy for all her work in making this dream a reality.

“Wow! I think this is the best outreach project our Diocesan Daughters have ever done! What togetherness!”