By Alexa Gilker

AMIDST the chaotic mountains of clothing, medical supplies, toys, wheelchairs and blankets piled around her, Dell-Marie Wergeland is calmly sporting a T-shirt that says ‘Expect Miracles.’

After 10 years of directing one of Canada’s most unique international aid ministries, she has realized that nothing short of a miracle will organize the madness of the warehouse headquarters into critical international aid.

The Compassionate Resource Warehouse (CRW) has been collecting donations for overseas relief since September of 2000, when CRW shipped its first 40-foot container of supplies to Honduras after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch.

“We had no idea what we were doing,” said Wergeland, who has since made the CRW her full-time ministry.

The initial container was assembled over a clueless year and a half. CRW now ships about 20 containers a year to all corners of the world.

The current container being packed is headed to fire victims in Russia, with the next being targeted to aid refugees of the floods in Pakistan.

“Relief organizations within the receiving country contact us,” said Wergeland, “and we have to decide if we have the resources to help. Somehow God usually provides what they need.”

She gives the example of 16 trolleys of linens that were recently donated to the warehouse. “I said ‘Lord, what are we going to do with all of these?,’” said Wergeland. But within a few days the CRW received odd information: any material sent on the next shipment had to be linen.

“I just laugh,” said Wergeland. “God has a sense of humour.”

Along with local donations, the warehouse receives aid resources from all over the country. Currently, about 900 women across Canada are knitting warm clothes for the containers that will be sent to cold climates.

One volunteer, Gloria Morneau, managed to entice her 88 year old mother, Gladys Curry, into mending a few of the used clothing donations. “Now she’s snagging all her friends to help out, and they do everything from mending clothes to making dolls and sewing pillows,” said Morneau.

Continue article >>

Another volunteer works at a prison and has permission to enlist inmates to fix up broken bikes that can then be sent for doctors to use as transportation in the affected areas.  

Since each container requires about 1,100 hours of manpower to assemble and pack, on-site volunteers are recruited from all over Greater Victoria. Many have been regular attendees since the warehouse’s inception.

Andre LaPorte is one such volunteer. “Helping people is a way of life,” said LaPorte, “but you can tell we have a lot of fun here, too.”

Bill Linder said he knows he’s been a volunteer since the beginning because he remembers “when you could actually see the floor of the warehouse.”

Wergeland credits the efficiency of the warehouse to these long-term volunteers, who treat their work at CRW as full-time jobs. They now specialize in ensuring that the articles going into each container are appropriate to the receiving country.

“We can’t give Western clothing to people in Pakistan,” Wergeland said. “It would be offensive; we need to treat them with dignity. We have learned to tailor each container with specific donations, like sarees for Pakistan.”

Wergeland has visited several receiving countries to see the containers unloaded, but also to witness whether or not the aid is effective.

“People are so happy that we’ve brought supplies, but often just happy that we’ve come and shown them that we love them,” said Wergeland.

Before each container is shipped off, $5,000 to $15,000 must be raised for shipping costs. Often the costs are borne by other charities and ministries, but sometimes a local business will sponsor a container or the CRW will fundraise by selling two-for-one coupon booklets.

“Our calling is to give people the tools to do the job God calls them to do,” said Wergeland. She refers to the Christian aid organization in Pakistan that will be receiving a jam-packed container in the near future.

“They are called into their community, and we are giving them the means to go into the community and share who Jesus is.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring a container should call 1.250.381. GIVE.

October 2010