Service

Holly Frew: International aid worker ‘built’ in Alabama

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Holly Frew (Photo courtesy of CARE)

Meet Holly Frew, a communications officer for the humanitarian group CARE. I chat with her about her missionary and disaster relief trips in my latest piece for The Alabama Baptist.

Assisting with recovery efforts in Haiti following the destruction created by Hurricane Matthew is just one of the latest disaster areas in 37-year-old Holly Frew’s life.

The former Alabama Baptist serves as the emergency communications officer for Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian organization based out of Atlanta. She attributes the preparation for her life’s work to her upbringing at home and as part of Gardendale First Baptist Church.

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Making the Difference: Entrepreneur helps volunteers find local outreach opportunities

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Samantha Blyn with some of the Junior Achievement kids she works with through her nonprofit organization, Making the Difference Outreach.

Samantha Blyn with some of the Junior Achievement kids she works with through her nonprofit organization, Making the Difference Outreach.

I interviewed Samantha Blyn, the founder of nonprofit volunteer organization Making the Difference Outreach, for Florida Currents:

Samantha Blyn donated items to charity and wrote checks to support nonprofits. But she says she did not really view volunteering as a need in the community until age 39, when she signed up to help with Habitat for Humanity.

She not only felt a sense of fulfillment in helping others, but discovered what would become her life’s mission.

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Feeding the Hungry: Communities inspired by couple’s desire to feed the hungry

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Jim and Linda Jones lead a team of volunteers to feed nearly 3,000 children with a backpack of food 49 weeks a year.

Jim and Linda Jones lead a team of volunteers to feed nearly 3,000 children with a backpack of food 49 weeks a year.

For Alabama Living, I profiled the Alabama Childhood Food Solution charity:

Jim and Linda Jones have always worked to make a difference, both in the U.S. and abroad. But their effort now is concentrated on their northeast Alabama community.

Serving on 23 short-term mission trips around the world — in the U.S., Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Brazil — opened their eyes to hunger. But it was after a mission trip to Africa that Jim saw hunger within one mile of his home — in his own neighborhood.

Jim and Linda Jones lead a team of volunteers to feed nearly 3,000 children with a backpack of food 49 weeks a year.

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Coupon Connection: How can you turn your coupon clippings into a ministry?

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(jridgewayphotography)

(jridgewayphotography)

Couponing is an incredibly simple way to make others’ lives easier. I look at the many ways couponing can help those most in need in this piece for Mature Living:

Making a Monday morning visit to an assisted living center, a retired teacher gathered a stack of coupons from several Sunday papers. “Not only do I collect coupons,” she says, “but this gives me an opportunity to connect with the people who live in this community. It’s a small thing but one that is making a difference in the lives of others.”

Instead of only stocking your own pantry, think of ways to provide food, household products, half-priced restaurant meals, and free products as a ministry to others. Put these tips to work for you. Then invite a group of friends to commit to this stewardship ministry and multiply the savings.

Click here to read the full article.

Carolyn Tomlin is a Jackson, Tennessee-based author that has been writing and publishing since 1988. She has authored 19 books and more than 4,000 articles in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Kansas City Star, American Profile, Tennessee Home & Farm, Home Life, Mature Living, ParentLife and many others.  You can purchase her full-length works here.