PUNO, PERU – “They are saying the pandemic itself will not kill us, but hunger will.” These words echo the thoughts of hundreds of men and women across Peru. The shutdowns due to COVID-19 have wreaked havoc on the livelihoods of Peruvian families. 33-year-old Judit is a single mother. She worked as a cook’s assistant, but because of COVID-19, she was laid off indefinitely. Without a job, Judit was desperate to keep food on the table for her 5 children. Often, the family had to survive on nothing but boiled potatoes. For such lively children as Judit’s, this was not nearly enough sustenance. How were they to continue living their daily lives? How were they to summon the energy to play soccer, or even to finish their homework for the day? Judit despaired, and prepared to beg for scraps before she let her children go hungry.
Thank God it didn’t come to that, because YOU refused to let hunger win. Your generosity gave Operation Blessing staff in Peru the opportunity to create food packages for hundreds of families. These packages contained bag after bag of rice, along with other food items. These live-saving gifts have sustained Judit and her precious children. With a voice full of emotion, Judit told us how grateful she was for the food. This is all thanks to you and your faithful support during this global pandemic. Thank you for your heart to help the hurting.
PERU – Gladys works hard while also raising her four children. A few months ago, she began to experience symptoms suspiciously similar to the COVID-19 virus. When she heard on the radio how hard the coronavirus had hit Peru, she began to suspect she’d contracted the illness at a local market. Since she was unable to work, Gladys’s resources ran low. She struggled to feed her children or purchase medicine.
But thanks to you, Operation Blessing met Gladys in her desperate hour! OB Peru travelled throughout Gladys’s community, delivering food bags and cleaning supplies to slow the spread of the virus. Gladys can now put food on the table for her family. Thank you for your heart to see men, women, and children cared for during the COVID-19 crisis.
PHILIPPINES – Alma and Arlie live next door to each other in the Philippines. Both devoted wives and mothers, spend their days working as street vendors. But when COVID-19 hit the Philippines, it severely shook their livelihoods. Alma and Arlie could no longer depend on their regular income. They began to worry about where their next meal would come from.
But thanks to generous partners like you, Operation Blessing was able to meet Alma and Arlie’s most critical need. Your kindness provided food bags filled with rice, milk, canned goods, and clean drinking water. You also gifted these families with cleaning supplies to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Thank you for your love to see Alma and Arlie cared for in these unprecedented times!
FEEL GOOD AND
DO GOOD WITH NEW INNOVATION FROM FERGON IRON SUPPLEMENTS
Chewable
Iron Tablets Answer Consumer Demand and Give Back
Edison, New Jersey; June 23, 2020 – Launched today, Fergon® Iron Restore™ meets consumer demand for an iron supplement that tastes great with a delicious orange flavor in a new chewable tablet. The innovation comes from Fergon®, a brand with strong heritage preferred by loyal customers for more than 50 years. Fergon Iron Restore now has the added benefit of helping people feel good while doing good because with every purchase, the owners of Fergon, DSE Healthcare Solutions, will donate a bottle of Fergon classic iron supplements to Operation Blessing.
Operation Blessing, a nonprofit dedicated to providing nutrients, water, medical and disaster relief to those in need, has been on the front lines supporting those impacted by COVID-19. The humanitarian organization will distribute a three-month supply of Fergon classic iron supplements containing the 27 milligrams of recommended daily iron for pregnant women through its network of healthcare professionals to benefit pregnant and postpartum women.
Iron deficiency is one of
the most prevalent nutrient deficiencies in the world, affecting an estimated
two billion people. Young children and pregnant and postpartum women are the
most commonly and severely affected because of the high iron demands of infant
growth and pregnancy.1 While women in general need more iron for
monthly menstruation cycles, pregnancy and menopause, both men and women,
particularly endurance athletes, also often need to supplement their iron.
“We’re thrilled to introduce
this innovation into the market and equally excited to help women get the
essential nutrients they need through our partnership with Operation Blessing,”
said Michele Muhammad, chief marketing officer of DSE Healthcare Solutions.
“This is a time when a little good can go a long way and we all need to do what
we can to help one another.”
“We’re committed to helping
at-risk populations get the essentials they need and we’re thankful for
partners including DSE Healthcare Solutions for supplying products like Fergon
to help us further our mission,” said Gordon Robertson, president of Operation
Blessing.
Iron levels have a big
impact on overall health by aiding in healthy red blood cell production, which
transports oxygen throughout the body. An iron supplement like Fergon Iron
Restore can help maintain iron in the blood at healthy levels.
New Fergon Iron Restore
contains the patented, non-constipating ingredient SunActive FE™ delivered in a
great-tasting chewable tablet that is gentle on the stomach and easy to
incorporate into daily lifestyles. The innovative chewable tablet and unique
formulation offer a new solution for those who don’t like to or can’t swallow
pills, or just want their daily supplements to taste good.
Purchase Fergon Iron Restore on its website or Amazon to help give back to Operation Blessing. Also, follow us on social and join the conversation online using hashtag #RestoreMoreGiving.
1.
World Health Organization; Iron Deficiency;
About DSE Healthcare Solutions
DSE Healthcare Solutions, LLC (DSE) is a privately held
consumer healthcare company. We manufacture and market a portfolio of
brands primarily within the vitamin, digestive health and skincare categories.
Our collection of legacy, challenger brands set us apart. We proudly rejuvenate enduring, no-frills
health and wellness brands to introduce them to new generations. Discover our
nostalgic brand stories and see how authenticity, a focus on quality
ingredients, and a commitment to our values still meets contemporary needs.
When it comes to everyday health and wellness, we believe simpler is better –
and always will. DSE is a proud member of CRN, the Council for Responsible
Nutrition, and CHPA, the oldest trade association in the US focused on OTC
(over the counter) products.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Costa Rica into a mandatory quarantine. Because of this, many businesses have closed their doors and laid off their employees. This includes Adrian, a young husband and father. Adrian used to work as a cabinet-maker, and made a good wage to support his family. Then, he got laid off without pay a week before Easter. Adrian has been without work ever since, and the family’s financial situation was starting to get dire. He tried to make what he could selling vegetables, but it wasn’t enough. The bills were piling up, and food was becoming scarce. Thankfully, Operation Blessing’s gracious friends came to the rescue just in time. Through your generosity, Operation Blessing staff in Costa Rica prepared nutritious food packages for Adrian and his family. The family received the food with joy, and Adrian expressed his thankfulness for your support.
Thank you for supporting Operation Blessing through these uncertain times. Stories like Adrian’s would be impossible without your help. To learn more about Operation Blessing’s hunger relief program, click here.
UNITED STATES – During the COVID-19 crisis, men, women, and children across the United States have been practicing social distancing. Vulnerable elderly men and women have found themselves isolated, afraid to leave their homes in fear of contracting the virus. They are separated from the families and friends who care for them, creating an even deeper sense of isolation.
But thanks to the love of our partners, the men and women were not forgotten.
Operation Blessing partner Outreach for Christ is devoted to feeding the elderly during the COVID-19 crisis. Food is packaged and delivered directly to their doors, eliminating the need for travel or unnecessary contact. Thank you for your heart to see the elderly across the United States cared for in these dire times!
UKRAINE – Dmytro didn’t think a trip to check on his house would almost cost him his life, but living in war-torn eastern Ukraine, danger was often too close for comfort. Sadly, this trip home would end up requiring head surgery and extensive medical care.
War Reaches Dmytro And Daniel In The Ukraine
Dmytro is a loving single-father who cares deeply for his 12-year-old son, Daniel. Dmytro and Daniel had been living in a modest home that Dmytro had purchased by working hard as a miner. Then one day soldiers arrived and warned him saying, “If you want to survive, move out!”
Dmytro and Daniel heeded the warning and moved from the home they loved into a small, one-bedroom apartment in a safer area. But Dmytro worried about the home he had worked so hard for. One day he decided to return to check on it and retrieve some tools he needed with young Daniel and his friend Oleg.
A Tripwire Leads To The Need For Head Surgery
Leaving Daniel in the car a few blocks away, Dmytro and Oleg walked to the house. Then, while in the backyard, Dmytro hit a tripwire. Daniel recalls, “That day I called three times. Dad’s friend Oleg told me on the phone that everything was all right. Then there was an explosion… I kept calling them both, but both of their phones were disconnected. I called dozens of times but nothing helped.” He continues, “I felt really scared… nobody explained anything to me, but I realized dad was badly wounded, and I could only guess whether he was still alive.”
200 Shrapnel Wounds To His Head And Damage To His Skull
Thankfully, Dmytro was still alive, but only barely. The bomb had left Dmytro with over 200 shrapnel wounds. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency head surgery. In order to save his life, doctors had to remove a large portion of Dmytro’s skull.
Though he had survived the explosion, Dmytro was in a very hard place. His injuries made it impossible for him to work and support his son. Not only that, with part of his skull missing, Dmytro lived in constant danger. Even the smallest bump on the head could have killed him. “Before my injury, [my son and I] used to be together all the time—fishing, cycling, and going to the seaside,” Dmytro lamented.
Head Surgery Gave Dmytro A Protective Plate For His Skull
Dmytro needed another surgery to install a protective plate. But unable to work and with no way to pay for the surgery, Dmytro didn’t know what to do.
Your Lovingkindness Made His Head Surgery Possible
That’s when YOU stepped in to change everything for this loving father. You made a way for Dmytro to have the head surgery that he needed. Now Dmytro has a titanium plate protecting his brain, and he no longer has to live in fear of bumping his head or skull.
“Finally, I am home with my son,” Dmytro exclaimed. “The scariest thought for me has always been that I would never see my son Daniel again.”
Thank you for blessing Dmytro and for making sure that he will be able to provide for his son in the future!
You are now reaching out to multiple states throughout the U.S. and 27 other countries around the world with special help during the coronavirus pandemic! Our humanitarian outreach has quickly pivoted to place priority on providing medical supplies, disaster relief, and additional food to those suffering during this unprecedented time.
Thanks to your amazing ongoing support, we continue reaching out during this time of conronavirus crisis. Here are just a few of the latest updates on how you are fighting this pandemic.
Thanks to you we’re reaching out in the Ukraine with food and soap for those hit hard by the financial situation.
You’re sending masks, food, hygiene supplies, and first aid items to Thailand.
With your help, we donated 1000 N95 masks to Sentara Hospitals and 1000 N95 masks to Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters in Virginia, as well as giving seven local cities another 1000 N95 masks each. Similar large numbers of masks have also been distributed at multiple locations throughout Florida, Tennessee, and Texas.
OB Philippines will be visiting 20 hospitals in the coming days. They are giving away disposable head covers, shoe covers, gowns, masks, alcohol, gloves, bath soap, ferrous sulfate tablets and ascorbic acid tablets. A pastor will accompany them to pray and uplift the spirits of those on the front lines.
In Mexico, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico, Peru, Honduras, Kenya, and Haiti, OB is producing chlorine to distribute to government and medical agencies. Guatemala is also distributing food supplies and masks.
Our U.S. disaster relief team is distributing sanitizing kits from The Home Depot to governments and first responders in Hampton Roads, Florida, and Dallas areas.
Our Hunger Strike Force will continue meeting the needs of the 12 Hub food pantry locations in the Hampton Roads area, as well as sending food to distribution partners all over the country.
View a special message from OB President Gordon Robertson on the pandemic
UPDATE March 20, 2020
In the U.S., because of you, we quickly reached out to our food distribution partners, and began sending even more free groceries and water to those hit by the financial hardships of the crisis, including children who lost school meals and workers who lost wages. With your help, we also reached out to first responders in the communities surrounding our headquarters in Virginia.
“Many of us are working remotely right now, or being asked to, but these folks can’t,” said Hannah Slusher, operations manager for Operation Blessing. She went on to explain, “We actually provided…one thousand N95 masks, and in partnership with The Home Depot, we also provided them with disaster buckets.” The police officers greatly appreciated these buckets full of cleaning and disinfecting supplies.
Operation Blessing always stands ready to respond to crises and reach out to those in need. With your ongoing support, we’ll be able to continue offering humanitarian aid during this COVID-19 crisis and long into the future. You are in our thoughts and prayers at this time.
Norfolk Police Department
UPDATE March 17, 2020
The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is an active threat in the U.S., and the government is responding with strong recommendations on social distancing, quarantines, school closures, and limitations to certain industries. The virus has greatly affected the economy, and many families now face financial hardships. Thanks to your ongoing support, Operation Blessing is actively working with our food distribution partners around the U.S. to make more free food supplies available for individuals in need during this coronavirus crisis. And we will continue monitoring this global pandemic to evaluate how we can help all around the world.
February 12, 2020
WUHAN, CHINA: Both China, and the world at large, are facing a deadly new crisis. The coronavirus has exploded onto the world scene with devastating consequences. The quickly spreading virus has created a huge threat to the population of Wuhan, the epicenter of the corona outbreak, killing over a thousand and infecting many more.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Cases of coronavirus (also known as COVID-19, 2019-ncov, and novel coronavirus) have also been popping up around the world, including in the U.S. Coronavirus symptoms appear much like a cold or flu, and can be difficult to spot initially. So extreme quarantines and travel bans have been enacted to prevent the spread. Currently, no vaccine is available to stop the corona breakout.
Fighting the Corona Breakout
But take heart! Coronavirus charity efforts are making a difference. Thanks to you, Operation Blessing is hard at work battling the coronavirus. You are sending critical supplies to Wuhan during this dangerous time, including approximately 22,000 masks and thousands of protective suits. With your faithful support, we will continue to monitor the situation and help as much as we possibly can.
Pray for Victims in Wuhan, China
In the meantime, please pray for those infected by the virus and those in susceptible areas. Pray for governments to enact wise policies to stop the spread. Pray for medical professionals to find solutions and prevent deaths. And pray for those risking their safety to care for the suffering.
Thank you again for your support. If you’d like to give a special gift to help victims of crisis and disaster, please visit our disaster relief donation page.
By Don Thomson, National Director of Operation Blessing Japan
The coronavirus pandemic has hit virtually every country in the world. Even Japan, with its high standards of hygiene and social etiquette where many are accustomed to wearing facial masks to prevent spread of flu and colds even during ordinary times, has not been immune.
Many medical and welfare institutions have found their supplies of disinfectant dwindling, with no hope in sight for replenishing. These institutions include homes for the elderly, handicapped service agencies, day care centers, nursing homes, home care nursing service agencies, orphanages, kindergartens, child care centers, agencies that work with the homeless, and others that serve the vulnerable.
We at Operation Blessing Japan considered what we could do to help meet this need, and thanks to friends like you, we were able to make a difference. Trying to find disinfectant among dwindling supplies in the nation was not really an option. So we started to think, was there any way for us to actually produce our own disinfectant?
Chlorine Production Makes a Difference
I was familiar with Operation Blessing’s projects in other
countries for producing chlorine, using salt and water with electrolysis equipment.
This method had been highly effective as a disinfectant during the Ebola crisis
back in 2014 – 2015 and was being produced at a number of OB offices around the
world even in this crisis. I began to wonder if this was something we could
also do in Japan. Producing chlorine had never been on our radar, as there
really was never a need in this advanced country. But now the situation was
different.
After doing some research, I found a local Japanese company that made the very equipment we needed. Hoshizaki Corporation, a major brand in equipment used by food manufacturers, kitchens in restaurants, hospitals, and other types of institutions, had a newly released machine that would produce free-flowing, safe, yet stable, and powerful type of chlorine called Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water (SAEW).
Producing Chlorine for Disinfecting During COVID-19
SAEW is a novel disinfectant, known to be effective against viruses and other pathogens. The machine offered by Hoshizaki produces chlorine at a rate of 4 liters a minute using electrolysis. The equipment is simply attached to a water supply, a small tank of hydrochloric acid and salt solution, and a power outlet. 10 liters (2.5 gallons) of solution will produce 5,200 liters (1300 gallons) of virus-busting chlorine.
Our team put together a distribution plan, and reached out
to our partners and contacts across Japan, serving vulnerable communities. The
chlorine produced at our base in Fukushima is stocked in 20-liter (5 gallon)
plastic tanks, and then sent directly to the requesting institution by a
door-to-door express trucking service.
Just in the first three weeks since starting the project we delivered 2,720 liters (680 gallons) to 133 institutions, all over Japan, serving a total of over 12,000 beneficiaries. The response has been overwhelming, with many more requests coming in from as far north as Hokkaido, and from Okinawa in the south, with the biggest concentrations in the Tokyo and Kansai areas which have been hit the most from the virus.
Distributing Disinfectant to Those in Need
We are receiving email messages of thanks from the directors
of these institutions who are ecstatic with the speedy and timely support friends
like you made possible. Japan’s national broadcaster, NHK, featured our unique project
on their 5 o’clock evening news television programs on April 28, which reached up
to an estimated 2.3 million households.
Thank you to all those who gave and are continuing to give
to this important project, to help the vulnerable in Japan. Your support will build
a sense of community and deliver hope throughout the country. This project is
being done in partnership with SAP Japan who provided a significant donation to
launch the project. SAP SE is one of Europe’s largest business-to-business
software development companies with over 50,000 employees around the world.
Conoly Phillips was a close friend of CBN since the early 1960s.
Pat Robertson personally led him to the Lord over lunch at a Norfolk, Virginia,
restaurant in 1964. His struggling automobile business later became one of the
most successful dealerships on the East Coast.
A humble man with a passion for souls, Conoly traveled to Bogota, Colombia, for the opening
of CBN’s first international radio station. He was called to run for Norfolk
City Council and earned the support of the Christian community, serving from
1976 to 1980, and from 1986 to 2002. He was instrumental in ridding Norfolk of
pornographic bookstores and paved the way for downtown revitalization. Conoly began the tradition of opening City Council meetings with prayer, saying,
“Never be anywhere of importance without a call from the Lord.” He made an
unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1978, considering his campaign “a
ministry of the Lord in calling Christians to active political participation.”
Throughout his personal writings, Conoly Phillips acknowledged God’s hand on his life, business and family. In his later years, he served on the board of directors for Operation Blessing since 2014, on the Regent University board from 1991-1995, as chairman from 2008-2011, and again as a member from 2013 to the present. He also served numerous philanthropic and civic organizations.
Pat Robertson said, “I am saddened by the passing of my dear friend, Conoly Phillips. He has been a dear friend of mine for decades, and his wife is a shining example of someone totally committed to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Conoly was a pioneer in marketing, a pioneer in the sale of automobiles, a pioneer in Christian political involvement, and a pioneer to the faith community. I prayed with Conoly before his passing and asked that God would send the angels to carry His beloved son to his heavenly resting place. I can say with great confidence that this wonderful man is now fully alive and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We will deeply miss Conoly’s mentorship and encouragement. He trusted God and sought Him daily. Our love is with Betsy and his family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made at www.regent.edu/give, select “Scholarship Fund”, and note “In memory of Conoly Phillips” in the text box or special instructions. Mail-in gifts can be sent to Regent University, Office of Advancement, 1000 Regent University Dr, ADM 128, VA Beach, VA 23463 (757.352.4773) with a notation of “In Memory of Conoly Phillips” in the memo line.
