SUPPLY DISTRIBUTIONS
One of the major accomplishments of TORCH is the enormous amount of medical supplies, reading glasses, clothing, toys, toiletries, Bibles, and food that is distributed to the various villages and people of Honduras.
Food Distribution
TORCH groups distribute food in many different ways. Sometimes they spend time learning how to purchase fresh produce at the local markets in town, allocating it into the buckets, and then handing it out to communities that are in need. At other times, bulk bags of black beans, flour, raw sugar, corn, and shortening are purchased in Honduras. The team packs the dry ingredients into black garbage bags that will be distributed, along with toiletries, Bibles, tracts, and various other items. Since food is a basic necessity, we try to bring it to every community we visit, as well as other key Hondurans that help make TORCH possible, such as bus drivers and local church members. TORCH teams also find opportunities to spend time in churches, communities, and with children to provide them with a freshly prepared meal.
Medical Supplies
Vitamins and reading glasses, two things most people in the United States take for granted. Imagine not being able to have the basic needs of nutrients to stay healthy or being able to read a book or your bible. Vitamins as we know it are usually $5-10 a bottle. In Honduras, these same vitamins can cost around $80. TORCH teams are vital in supplying these to the people of Central America. Many teams bring bottles of vitamins and reading glasses in their luggage to share with the Clinica de Esperanza and for the clinics that occur on the trips. This is another simple, yet crucial role that TORCH plays in the communities that we visit.
Clothing & Toiletries
You will not believe how many children run around with a little bit of clothing on in Honduras. It is easy in our thinking to justify that it is easier for Hondurans to go without because of the temperatures there, but the fact of the matter is that the families are just too poor to have clothes for the youngest children to wear, especially when it is acceptable for them to be seen without anything covering themselves. A child is open to numerous infections when they sit naked on a dirt floor for most of the day. TORCH teams will hand out clothing and toiletries in the villages and communities that they visit.
Bibles
Bibles are distributed in several different ways in Honduras and Guatemala. Most people in the United States have multiple Bibles in their house, however in Honduras and Guatemala, they are not as plentiful. TORCH Teams distribute Bibles in hospitals, as part of the housewarming bin given to the new homeowner, given away to churches, given to schools and used to teach Honduran children how to learn and read English, as well as given away at the medical clinics. These Bibles are sent in bulk quantities down on shipping containers to be distributed throughout the year, as well as brought by TORCH teams for distribution.
Water Filters
TORCH Missions through IRC (Inter-American Restoration Corporation) supplies water filters to communities that do not have the luxury of clean water. The filters allow each family to lower their medical and fuel bills and helps eliminate the waterborne diseases that unfiltered water carry.
