From Classrooms to Communities: Hope on Its Way to Haiti

September 4th, 2026

On September 1st, Midwest Mission sent another shipment of hope to Haiti through our partner, Food For The Poor.

International shipment #28 carried $93,358 worth of supplies — resources that will support education, healthcare, livelihoods, and everyday needs in communities across Haiti.

Inside the shipment were items with many different purposes, but each one has the potential to make a difference. Students will receive supplies to help them learn, educators will have desks and chairs for their classrooms, and individuals and families will receive practical resources to help meet their daily needs.

Here’s a look at the contents of the shipment:

• 69 Used school desks

• 36 Midwest Mission desks

• 93 Folding chairs

• 1,680 Student Kits

• 15 Electric sewing machines

• 8 Treadle sewing machines

• 6 Cabinet electric sewing machines

• 35 Rolls of fabric

• Sewing accessories

• 120 Home Care Kits

• 15 Bicycles

• 1,782 Articles of clothing

• 1,310 Hospital sheets

• 870 Hospital towels

• 60 Bed Packs

• 72 Cases of rubber sponges

Together, these supplies represent opportunities.

What may seem like an ordinary donated item can become an important resource when it reaches someone who needs it.

That is the heart of Midwest Mission's work. Through generous donations, dedicated volunteers, and partnerships with organizations like Food For The Poor, we are able to take resources that are available here and send them where they are needed most.

Serve Together This September

What if a few hours of your time could help provide a meal to someone facing hunger?

This September, Midwest Mission is inviting individuals, families, churches, and community groups to make Serving September a month of serving. One way to get involved is at our annual Rice and Soy Blessing Bag Pack, where volunteers will come together September 24–25 to pack 12,000 Blessing Bags—enough to provide 72,000 meals to people facing hunger around the world. We have shifts at both our Pawnee, Illinois and Jefferson, Iowa locations!

But you don't have to come to Midwest Mission to serve!

You can participate right where you are by packing kits with your church or small group, holding a collection of needed items like wheelchairs, sewing machines and bikes, or making handmade items such as quilts, blankets, and other projects.

There are countless ways to turn your time, talents, and resources into practical help for people in need.

Find your way to serve this September at midwestmission.org/servingseptember.

Before You Donate: A Sewing Machine Checklist

A sewing machine can be more than a piece of equipment. It can become a tool for learning, earning an income, and building a more sustainable future.

At Midwest Mission, donated sewing machines are given a second life and are sent to communities where they are needed. Before a sewing machine can make an impact, our team needs to know what condition it is in.

That’s why we created the Electric Sewing Machine Intake Checklist, a simple resource to help donors check their sewing machine before bringing it to Midwest Mission.

You don’t need to be a sewing machine repair expert to complete the checklist. It is designed to help you identify the basic condition of your machine and let our team know about any known problems.

Whether your sewing machine has been sitting in a closet for years or has been a well-loved part of your sewing room, taking a few minutes to check it before donating can make a difference. The information you provide helps our team determine the best next step for each machine.

The Electric Sewing Machine Intake Checklist is available at midwestmission.org/collect-donate for donors to access before bringing in their machine.

We encourage you to complete the checklist as thoroughly as possible and bring it with your donation. Providing accurate information about your sewing machine helps our team understand its condition and determine how it can best be used.

If you are unable to check your machine before donating, that’s okay! By checking it first, you are only speeding up the process of getting your machine into the hands of someone who needs it. 

Do you have a sewing machine you're ready to give a new purpose to? Complete the checklist, and bring it to Midwest Mission or a Collection Site near you.