I have made 41 trips to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. The poverty is shocking -- children walking around naked, women bathing in ditches and people drinking from dirty canals. Disease and starvation are common.

Food prices have increased. In Haiti, most of a family's income goes to buy food. Today, $20 buys rice and beans for a family of six for a week. An increase means the difference between eating and not eating.

A missions group from Horne Memorial United Methodist Church in Clayton goes to Haiti in July. We have a medical team and will work on construction projects, hold Vacation Bible School and give out rice and beans.

To help, donate to the purchase of rice and beans. All gifts are tax-deductible. Write checks to Horne Memorial United Methodist Church, with rice/beans on the memo line, and mail them to the church at P.O. Box 475, Clayton, N.C. 27528.

HELEN LITTLE
Clayton