Margaret and Bill, Northern California

“What inspires me most about Episcopal Relief & Development and what is most important to me, is that the organization does not just put a bandage on a problem but goes way beyond that,” said Margaret, a parishioner at St. James Episcopal Church in Fremont, CA. “Episcopal Relief & Development will take care of emergencies and immediate needs, but then looks for long term solutions.” Bill and Margaret are especially supportive of the agency’s focus on simple technologies that address serious problems, like building wells to stop water-borne illnesses and providing treated insecticide nets to prevent malaria.

Initially Margaret supported Episcopal Relief & Development as one of many organizations within the Episcopal Church. The agency’s immediate response to the fires in the Oakland Hills in 1991 impressed Margaret and Bill and turned them into sustaining supporters. “The next morning, every Episcopal family in Oakland that needed help had $1,000 in their hands because of Episcopal Relief & Development,” said Margaret, who now focuses her giving on a local homeless shelter and Episcopal Relief & Development.

Thanks to the ongoing commitment of people like Margaret and Bill, Episcopal Relief & Development can continue to implement life-saving programs and provide immediate disaster relief wherever it is needed. Their partnership enables Episcopal Relief & Development to heal a hurting world.

“I feel very strongly that we are all responsible for each other,” said Margaret. “In this country, most of us are eating three meals per day, but we should not close our eyes to the fact this is not the case elsewhere in the world. Even in these difficult times, we are so much better off than most.”

Over the years, Margaret and Bill’s support of Episcopal Relief & Development has provided, among other things, clean water in Latin America, earthquake relief in Asia, insecticide-treated nets in Africa and primary health care in the Middle East. Their support has helped countless numbers of our neighbors in need.

“Margaret and Bill are a wonderful example of healing in action,” said Lorenzo Martinez, Vice President of External Affairs at Episcopal Relief & Development. “The consistent support they provide enables us to expand our reach and transform more communities.”

To learn more about Episcopal Relief & Development’s work, please click here.