How to Help
Effectiveness of Donations
Every dollar donated to St. Joseph’s Mission Fund is used to support the neediest people in the world. There are no salaries paid or expenditures for overhead expenses associated with the Fund (view the latest IRS form 990). Volunteers handle all administrative functions, and administrative expenses are borne by several generous individuals. Local administrators in India and Africa determine the specific needs to be supported thus ensuring the funds are put to best use. Most of our donations are used to support daily needs or to fund vital permanent improvements. There is also the opportunity to fund Special Projects which are not within our normal budget.
Special Projects
Vegetable Garden – $4820
OVERVIEW
Unused land in front of St Joseph’s Social Service Centre is available for a garden project. It has easy access to the market, water is available, and work force is available. We could employ a few people. Already we are spending a big sum of money for vegetables every week. So the expense could be reduced and the money spent on vegetables at the market could be saved. On a rough calculation in my opinion we could save $2769 per year in purchases.
The rest of the vegetables if any could be sold in the market. It could also bring some income. Once we implement this project the children would get fresh vegetables as fresh as possible and of course all colors to balance the vegetable intakes. We would also try to use all organic manures as much as possible which would improve one’s health as always suggested from our ancestors wisdom, the land would be used properly otherwise right now it is left barren, people would get employment, apart from all these benefits and beneficiaries we would have saved our vegetable bills.
DETAILS
- Water supply. We have three bore wells in this field, the first one 30 feet deep, the second 30 feet deep and the third one 70 feet More or less we get 3000 liters of water per hour from each bore. Certain new plumbing will have to be undertaken for the garden.
- Fencing. We need to do some fencing to protect the garden from mountain monkeys.
- Storage shed. A small shed for the gardeners will be needed
- Soil Preparation. We have a plan to develop the garden in the first phase according to the landscape 100 feet at one side and 235 feet at the other and nearly it covers 23500 sq. ft. To make the land cultivable, we need to bring nearly 80 truckloads of red soil from faraway places. We need to plough the land for the clear mix of soil with rotate tractor and for this we need to use the tractor. To make the land nutrition rich we have to put minimum three loads of cow dung manure. Since the seedlings grow at different stages we have to put fertilizers like phosphate and urea.
- Tools. Once the land is made ready we need to buy other garden appliances such as spade, tiller machine, weeding spade, basket, pruner, sprayer, and other connected instruments.
6. Planting. Need to buy seven kilos of seeds
7. Gardeners. We have a plan to appoint two gardeners and they would be paid
8. Crops.We have a plan to plant certain types of vegetables taking into stock of our climate, soil, the dry times, the downpours, short term, long term, nutrition management, pesticides and weedicides. So we would plant vegetables such as cucumber, beetroot, sponge gourd, lady finger, squash gourd, green leaves, tomato, snake gourd, bitter gourd, beans, sabre bean, green peas, red chili, green chili, pumpkin, brinjal,bottle gourd, capsicum, cluster beans, curry leaves, drumsticks, ginger, lemon, mushroom, onion, radish, banana, spinach and so on. The yielding time and volume differs for different vegetable. The greens will yield within ninety days, from the day of planting or seeding and bitter gourd would take forty days on an average and almost all vegetables would give results within three to three and half months. We are not able to qualify the volume of vegetable production yet since we are in the nascent stage. We should be clear after the first harvest.
9. Costs. I have prepared a proper column to spell out the expenses clearly. With regard to the total expenditure I have also given the break ups and the total. The total amount of grant request for vegetable garden’s income generation program would be $4820.
| 1 | JCB | 10 hrs. | 650×10 | 6500 |
| 2 | Land Reclamation Red Soil | 80 Trucks | 1500×80 | 1,20,000 |
| 3 | Rotate Tractor | 3hrs | 1200 x3 | 3600 |
| 4 | Cow Dung | 3 Lorries | 4000×3 | 12000 |
| 5 | Plumbing | 25000 | ||
| 6 | Seedlings | 8000 | ||
| 7 | Seeds | Seven kg | 6650 | |
| 8 | Garden Tools | 50000 | ||
| 9 | Fencing and Netting | 10000 | ||
| 10 | Gardener | 2 | 7000 x2x 3 | 42000 |
| 11 | Electricity | 3 | 6500×3 | 19500 |
| 12 | Contingency | 10000 | ||
| 13 | Total | 3,13,250 | ||
313,250 rupees converts to $4819
Housing – $650 per house
SJMF is fun
ding construction of low cost “houses” for poor and homeless villagers in the Assam region of India. These people often have no place to live and appreciate even the most rudimentary shelter. A photo of one such new house is shown here. Our long term goal is construction of a total of 50 homes at a current cost of $650 each. Funding for all or part of these remaining homes would be greatly appreciated.
A new masonry house with sanitation facility can be built through Habitat for Humanity at an estimated cost of $4000. Renovation of an existing masonry house (new wall, add door, painting, adding flooring, etc.) can be made starting about $650.
Various Other Projects
- Well Drilling: Under 100 feet (hand drilling, hand pump) ($275). More than 100 feet (machine drilling and electric pump) $650
- Sanitation facility (toilet and bathing place) $425
- Livestock: Goat $50 Cow $375
- Leper family food assistance: $500 per month
- Dowry for bride (orphan): $6500
- Advanced Education :
- Teacher training certificate (two years) $4625
- Degree in Education (1 year) $4000
- Engineering Degree (4 years) $17, 500
SJMF welcomes your support for any of these specific needs.
Donate by Mail
Although contributions could be mailed directly to the Administrator of the orphanage in Vellamadam, mail is often lost and never arrives there. The unreliable mail system was one of the reasons several donors banded together to form SJMF in order to ensure that donations were received reliably.
Unrestricted donations give us the best latitude to respond to the most pressing and immediate needs. If you would prefer to specify how your donation is to be used, you need only enclose a short note, or even annotate your check appropriately. Directed gifts will be used as specified by the donor.
Mail donations to:
St. Joseph’s Mission Fund
1250 S. Washington St. # 209
Alexandria, VA 22314
You will receive a written receipt for each donation by letter, usually within a month.
Donations as Gifts or Memorials
- Unsure what to give the person who has everything?Make a Christmas, birthday or other special occasion donation in honor of that family member or friend. Donations can, if desired, be for a specific purpose such as orphan support, livestock program, or housing. SJMF can provide you with gift cards and envelopes that you can then send to your recipient. Contact us and we will be glad to help you.
Memorial gifts are particularly appropriate and welcome. SJMF is pleased to accept and acknowledge donations in memory of a friend or loved one.
Shop On-line and Help the Orphans!
Have a portion of your on-line purchases and travel arrangements go directly to St. Joseph’s Mission Fund by registering at www.iGive.com/SJMF. Fully secure. No hassle. No “spam.” No additional cost to you. Just more funds for St. Joseph’s Mission Fund to use to help the needy !!
Over 600 merchants are now participating with iGive.com, including Land’s End, Barnes & Noble, J. C. Penney, Lane Bryant, Coldwater Creek, Expedia (including airline tickets, rental cars, et al.), United Airlines, Hilton Hotels, Ross-Simons, Sharper Image, 1-800-Flowers, Eddie Bauer and many other names that you will recognize. Over one million dollars has been raised for charities by iGive.com. St. Joseph’s Mission Fund has received over $500 so far from purchases by less than a dozen people.
If you already shop or make travel arrangements on-line, please seriously consider using this service. Many of your fellow supporters already do, and the orphans have already benefited significantly from the funds we have received. A wonderful way to help with ease and at no cost to you.
Sign up when you are ready to make a purchase so that we can get the $5 bonus for a new subscriber who makes a purchase.
Donate Online
Making a cash donation to St. Joseph’s Mission Fund online through the PayPal secure service is easy and safe. [Note that PayPal deducts a small charge for their service from your donation (usually 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction).] To assure your privacy, PayPal does not forward either credit card or address information to us. Please include your address in the “donor notes” section of the PayPal form. If your gift is in honor of or in memory of a loved one, please also use the “donor notes” section to let us know where to send an acknowledgement card.
Purchase items made by the women and older orphans
A limited selection of fancy embroidery work and hand-made crafts are available for sale. These items are usually sold at church bazaars in the Alexandria, VA, area. If you are interested in such items, contact us by email or mail.
Volunteer Opportunities
A. Fundraising
Volunteers are needed throughout the world to help us give other people the opportunity to help the neediest. We need your help in identifying church, social and business organizations where our story might bear fruit. Your level of involvement is up to you:
- Give us names, addresses, email addresses or telephone numbers of potentially interested people, and we will contact them
- You can distribute pamphlets for us to individuals or groups
- We can provide you with a presentation on a CD
B. Management
Volunteers in the Alexandria, VA, area are needed to assist with month-to-month SJMF operations, including:
- Processing donations
- Preparing personalized receipt letters
- Preparing mailings
- Conducting handicraft sales at local church bazaars
- Volunteers interested in more substantial involvement are invited to consider becoming a member of the Board of Directors.
C. Businesses
You are invited to consider becoming a sponsor of SJMF. Contact us to discuss how to establish mutually beneficial arrangements.