Reaching our City(RVA)–We extend a hand of hope to those in need right here in our local area. Our focus will be those who have been victims of disasters and those living in extreme poverty in the local Richmond and outlying areas. We provide coats, blankets, hats, gloves, Christmas stockings, food boxes, and Hope in four districts in RVA.
We are an Enrichment program for children at risk residing in Mosby and Gilpin Court communities of RVA, this program is a ministry outreach of Vessels of Mercy International in partnership with Faith Covenant Christian Fellowship.
To help alleviate poverty and suffering in our community, by strengthening the life of the disadvantaged and homeless by providing water, food, personal hygiene kits, sleeping bags, warm winter items, blankets, school supplies, backpacks, and a reminder that someone cares, and they are not invisible to us. We accomplish this through our partnership with Blessing Warriors RVA.
Help be a link in the chain!
Help us stock the shelves for an extraordinary group of students. This class has twenty special needs children, and often the parents struggle to provide the supplies and snacks that are needed for the teachers to assist their students. We can help bridge that gap.
We are collecting the following items year-round, let’s get them off to a great start.
- Rice Crispy Treats
- Chocolate Chip granola bars (no peanuts)
- Pencils
- Crayola crayons
- Glue sticks
- Tissues
- Hand Sanitizer
- Clorox wipes
All items can be dropped off at our office located at 12081 Gayton Rd, Henrico, VA, or call for more information and delivery times at 804-740-4575.
Give a little, help a lot!
There are simple and important ways you can help make a difference for hundreds of struggling and hurting men, women, and children in our community.
Toiletry donations include:
- Soap
- Shampoo
- toothbrushes and toothpaste
- disposable razors
- Lotion
- Deodorant
- feminine hygiene products
- pocket tissues
- toiletry bags
Drop off new and unused items at Vessels of Mercy Intl. 12081 Gayton Rd, Henrico, VA 23238. For more information, call our office at 804-740-4575.
“Silver Stockings” for the Elderly in Nursing Homes
Thank you for your interest in Vessels of Mercy International’s Silver Stockings Project.
This list below is the approved list for this project. (generic brands are acceptable) Please purchase your items so that all bags will be gender-neutral. We ask that you create bags with 4-6 items but feel free to adjust due to the cost involved. You may also add a card or note to the inside of any bag you donate! Please be sure everything is inside the bags. Silver bags are available for pickup at our office.
Other donation needs: If you have extra items, we’d love to receive those to help make additional bags to supplement last minute needs and to maximize what we can distribute around the Greater Richmond Community. You can also make a monetary donation and/or purchase items at Amazon from our Silver Stockings wishlist https://smile.amazon.com/Silver Stockings . Visit our website at www.vesselsofmercy.org and click our Silver Stockings Gift Bag link.
Suggested New Items Please for the safety of the recipient, no food or beverage items due to allergies and diet restrictions
- Lotion
- Vaseline
- Washcloths
- Nail Clippers
- Small Stuffed Animal
- Pens/Pencils
- Strength Ball (handheld)
- Chapstick (lip balm)
- Gloves & Hat (knit)
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush
- Tissues (pocket)
- Toothpaste
- Hand Sanitizer
- Non-Skid Socks
- Scarf
- Bandana (cotton)
- Large Print Crossword/Word Search Books
- Lap Blanket (fleece)
DEADLINE TO RECEIVE BAGS IN THE OFFICE: December 2nd at 12 noon.
Operation Homefront Delivering Hope to our Veterans in RVA
Thank you for your interest in Vessels of Mercy International’s Operation Homefront Veteran’s Gift Bag Project. We appreciate the interest this project is creating in our community!
This list below is the approved list for this project. (generic brands are acceptable) Please purchase your items so that all bags will be gender-neutral. We ask that you create bags with 4-6 items but feel free to adjust due to the cost involved. You may also add a card or note to the inside of any bag you donate! (Empty bags (blue) are available at our office for pickup and filling)
Other donation needs: If you have extra items, we’d love to receive those to help make additional bags to supplement last minute needs and to maximize what we can distribute around the Greater Richmond Community. You can also make a monetary donation and/or purchase items at Amazon from the Operation Homefront-Veterans wish list https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2OGEKWP48L7IE?ref_=wl_share.
Suggested Items: Please no food items due to allergies and diet restrictions
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Soap
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Lotion
- Shaving Cream
- Hand Sanitizer
- Tissues (pocket)
- Band-Aids/First Aid Kit
- Flashlight
- Reading Glasses
- Lighted Keychain
- Socks (non-slip)
- Hat (knit)
- Scarf
- Bandana (cotton)
- Gloves (knit)
- Lap Blanket (fleece)
- Umbrella
- Nail Clippers
- Adult Coloring Book
- Colored Pencils
- Crossword or Activity Book
- Pens/Pencils
- Chapstick (lip balm)
- Current Magazine
- Writing Paper
- Envelopes
- Cards for them to send out
- Stamps
- Gift cards (grocery, fast food, etc.)
DEADLINE TO RECEIVE BAGS IN THE OFFICE: November 4th at 12noon
Have you ever wondered how you could use your sewing skills, knitting or crocheting to make a difference? Here’s how:
SOAR Kits-Sustainable Hygiene kits
The global need for helping girls and women manage their menstrual cycle has inspired the creation of sustainable washable pads. Now, women around the world sew the pads and send them to countries across the globe. Locally, ladies spend hours sewing washable pads to be hand delivered to the targeted areas by our organization.
“I love to sew, and this was something I had never thought of,” Keri said.
The washable pads are made through a multi-step process, and each completed kit includes two waterproof shields, eight inserts, washcloth, Ziploc bags, underwear, soap, clothespins, instructions, and a cloth bag to hold it all. It may be that you are your group would be interested in helping us make these sustainable shields and inserts. It takes hundreds of hours to make this happen, but together we can make a difference in a girls life. If you are interested, then contact our office.
Do you have leftover yard from your crochet or knitting projects? Here is a wonderful idea for you and your friends who crochet or knit!
Vessels of Mercy International will take your handmade 8×8” knitted or crocheted squares and provide them to women in need. They are then taken overseas and women are taught how to assemble them into blankets or other creative items to help them provide for their families.
The people live in desperate conditions with no electricity, no access to clean water, and no viable means for the women to support themselves and their families. Every year Vessels of Mercy Intl. Mission’s teams spend time in these villages, doing Vacation Bible School and also conducting a large distribution of food, clothes, shoes, soap, detergent, tarps, cooking oil, toothbrushes and other basic necessities.
Our teams will take your handmade squares to the women and teach them how to assemble them into blankets and other practical items. The items can then be used for their families or taken to the marketplace and sold to help them buy food to feed their children. We also teach the women how to knit and crochet.
Here’s How It’s Done:
Crochet or knit 8×8” squares, using closely-woven stitch patterns (for added warmth). TIP! Cut cardboard 8×8 to use as a guide for sizing. Before tying off, leave a length of yarn approximately 2 1/2 yards long. (These long pieces will be used to assemble the squares together.)
Note: We have crochet patterns available and can email them to you!! Just contact us!
Getting the Squares to Us:
If you or your group would like to participate in this on-going project, please get in touch with us using the contact information on the back of this brochure so that we can make the necessary arrangements to get the squares into the hands of our mission’s teams!
The power of a COOKIE in the Inner City of Richmond
Who could have imagined what a cookie could do for building relationships, breaking down barriers and sharing the practical love of Christ in the most unlikely places? Yet this tool in the hands of willing volunteers is getting us into the homes of the inner city of the projects of Gilpin Court, Fairfield, Mosby, Creighton, and Wickam. People we would never have had a chance of sharing with are now inviting us into their homes and the cookies were the key that unlocked the door. Imagine going into the homes of the leading drug dealers, prostitutes and gang members of our inner city. That’s where these cupcakes/cookies are taking us.
It’s about building relationships, breaking down barriers an building bridges. It’s about hearing their stories and finding out how we can help them. It’s about talking with a woman who is being abused; a child who has no father. It’s about listening and learning how we can help bear their burdens with them. It’s about loving them and showing them the practical love of Christ. Our partnership with Faith Covenant Christian Fellowship is just another way we are reaching our city. We have ladies who organize teams to bake cookies, those who deliver them and volunteers who take them into the homes. The Cupcake-Cookie Brigade is on the move and claiming our city for Christ all provided by the hands of surrendered servants of God. One cupcake, one cookie, one home, one life at a time!
If you’re interested in joining the Cookie Brigade call our office for more information at 804-740-4575
Team members needed: those who like to bake cookies
Cost: Supply 1-2 dozen cupcakes or cookies per the schedule set based upon outreach dates.
Here are the specs:
Qty: 24 Ziploc baggies with cookies
Cookie Sizes: (3) normal size (72 cookies/6 doz) OR (2) larger size…like from Costco or Sam’s (48 cookies/4 doz)
Options: Slice-n-bake, homemade or bakery-bought cookies (just not packaged, like Oreos)
Restrictions: UNFROSTED and NUT-FREE
Additional: Please label what kind they are, so the children know what they’re getting.
Delivery Info:
Where: Vessels of Mercy International office
Address: 12081 Gayton Road, Henrico, VA 23238
When: Thursdays (10-noon and 2-4pm)
Phone: 804-740-4575 if you need to make other arrangements
Join us in the fight against Human Trafficking and Slavery here in our neighborhood and our country.
Vessels of Mercy International has been in the fight against human trafficking and slavery since 1995 on an international level and over the last 5 years in our own country(USA). For too long this has been seen as just an international problem but it is happening right here in our backyard! No matter where it is happening we need to do all we can to put an end to it! Join us in the fight and help us take a stand!
Human trafficking is currently the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, but for every one who partners with us we are building a stronger, more formidable movement to abolish this injustice!
An estimated 250 thousand American children are at high risk for exploitation and trafficking into the sex industry each year. 800,000 — Number of people trafficked across international borders every year.
Our focus is Rescue, Restore, Prevent!
We love like to express our deepest appreciation to everyone who had partnered with us, helping us to accomplish widespread prayer mobilization, awareness and prevention, and victim rescue, advocacy, and restoration. Your contributions have further enabled us to gain significant traction in combatting Human trafficking and slavery as we move forward in the days ahead.
National Human Trafficking Resource Center
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year.
The NHTRC is a program of Polaris Project, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking.
We are not a government entity, law enforcement or an immigration authority.
Call us at: 1-888-3737-888
To report a tip;
To connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or,
To request training and technical assistance, general information or specific anti-trafficking resources.
Llama la línea gratuita y confidencial: 1-888-3737-888
Denunciar casos de trata;
Conectarse con servicios en su localidad;
Pedir información o recursos en español sobre la trata de personas y la esclavitud moderna.
This website was made possible in part through Grant Number 90XR0012/02 from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, or HHS.