PAPGA Member Supports Local Haiti Relief Effort

Farm & Home Energy Steps Up To Help 'Tents For Haiti'

News provided by

Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association

Mar 10, 2010, 03:30 ET

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 12th, 2010 the Republic of Haiti experienced an event that has changed the lives of millions. PAPGA Telford-based member Farm & Home Energy has taken steps to support and sustain the efforts of a local missionary group.

On January 9th, 2010, a group of 27 people from Souderton Mennonite Church travelled to Haiti to help build wells and other infrastructure as they have done for the past 20 years. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit just three days after they arrived.

"Eleven of us were at the dinner table in a second story cinderblock house in Pass Bois D'homme when we heard the roar and the structure began to shake," recalled Jim Frankenfield. "Seconds later we were stumbling down the skinny concrete steps outside that were swaying back and forth."

The entire group organized and headed for the nearby hills upon learning of a Tsunami warning via radio. The continuing tremors forced everyone to sleep outside; a condition that many residents of Pass Bois D'homme continue to endure over a month after the quake.

In the hills above nearby Cotes de Fer, just 35 miles southeast of the earthquake's epicenter, residents watched as nearly every home in the municipality was destroyed. A group of missionaries appeared just two days after the devastation, shuttling hundreds of 4-pound bags of rice, cooking oil, medical supplies and doctors over 20 miles round trip to devastated villages nearby. This group included Jim and many others from the church. Hundreds of people were saved from extreme hunger, thirst and life-threatening disease by the efforts of the Pennsylvanians.

On January 19th, the group returned home to Souderton to a warm reception from the community. Although many of them were shaken by the tragedy, they remained committed and eager to return to Haiti as soon as possible to help rebuild the lives of many friends. The group will be returning to Codes de Fer before the end of March with 15 tons of aid, including 400 tents, hundreds of clean water buckets, hygiene products, blankets and food. Jim Frankenfield will be leading the efforts, along with his daughters Janeen and Jewel, plus many other dedicated members of the church. Jim's parents, Grace and Sam, began supporting missionary work early in their lives and the Frankenfields have travelled to Haiti annually since 1987, shortly after Sam retired from 25 years as a driver for Farm & Home Energy.

On February 15th, Janeen Cardona and 110 volunteers from Souderton Mennonite Church organized an amazing to raise funds for the return trip. Keeping with a fond Pennsylvania-Dutch tradition, 5,377 Fastnachts were handmade and sold in a day.

Over $16,000 has been raised to meet the goal of 400 tents and other supplies needed. In the weeks following the tragedy, Farm & Home Energy collected donations from employees, combined the sum with a company match and gave $850 to the Souderton Mennonite 'Tents For Haiti' Project.

"Farm & Home Energy is a community and being a community means helping our friends and neighbors," said Cory Longacre, Vice President of Retail Services. "When we saw the devastation that the Earthquake caused in Haiti, we knew we needed to do something. This was our small way of serving people."

Farm & Home Energy is a Telford, PA-based provider of Energy products & services. The company was founded in 1936 and operates five divisions in southeast Pennsylvania with over 100 dedicated employees.

The Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association is a member-focused trade association providing services that communicate, educate and promote the propane industry in Pennsylvania. The association was formed in 1947 to offer opportunities to learn through training and networking with peers, and to aid with legislative issues that contribute to operating a safe and successful industry. For more information, log on to www.papropane.com.