2021 Masks for Native American Neighbors Golf Tournament

Early during the COVID-19 crisis while the Chinese government was tightening down the volume of masks sent to the US, the Albuquerque Chinese Christian Church launched an effort by using their channels in China to ship protective masks to Chinese churches in America for distribution where they were needed most. Their desire to help Americans launched a national and international network of volunteers to assist our Native American neighbors. Below is a brief write-up.

LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR With death rates 5 times that of New York City, our Navajo and some Pueblo Native American neighbors in New Mexico were hit hard with COVID-19.  A multi-racial team of churches in America and China responded to the need. Locally, the Los Alamos Church of Christ personnel coordinated the effort as well as provided cloth masks to volunteers of a local food bank in Espanola early when no masks were available on the market. Over an 8-week period during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis, more than 150,000 PPE masks were delivered to Native American and other needy communities in New Mexico to be used for First Responders and Families.   Due to the size of population of Navajo Nation, Navajo was the #1 recipient of masks. Pueblos receiving PPE masks include Zia, Zuni, San Filipe, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Ohkay Owingeh and others. Efforts reached to a tribe in California. Early in the COVID crisis, when PPE masks were hard to obtain, persecuted underground churches in China began to ship masks directly to churches in America. Our volunteer team will continue to deliver masks to low-income families as needed. The cost for all the PPE masks are almost $80,000.   Generous donors have already contributed about $67,000. The effort still requires about $13,000 to meet the need. We have no administrative costs and volunteers pay their own expenses. Our team stepped out on faith and ordered the masks when they were most needed then delivered them trusting the Lord will provide. The invoices for the masks are coming due soon. Please pray and be as generous as you are able. No contribution is too small. We are just ordinary people responding to the human need of our neighbor in extraordinary times. Thank you in advance for your generosity! Bill Redmond