Community Partnership

If you or your church would like to support communities in Mexico or the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) with much needed supplies, please contact CUPS about volunteering in this capacity. Some of the opportunities for partnership are listed below

Special education children and young adults - blind, deaf, cleft palate, neuromoter problems, downs, slow learners. Items most needed include canes, Braille typewriters, Braille labelers, wheelchairs, special eating aids, simple durable puzzles, child diapers, liquid diet supplements, ankle foot orthotics, teaching tools for special needs children, Hoyer lifts.
Schools - Melamine white boards are needed. Children can learn the alphabet, print their name, and improve math skills by writing on a 12 x 12 inch melamine board finished with duct tape and easily erased. Either a dry erase pen or an erasable marker works and can be easily cleaned up. It saves on paper and a community of volunteers can make them for use in a classroom.

School children in kindergarten, primary school and middle school often lack basic school supplies or enrichment materials like books or math enrichment tools. There is a constant need for these supplies (new or recycled), including pencils, notebooks, crayons, pens, paint brushes and water color, glue, erasers, scissors (blunt w/ some for left handed children), coloring books, books in Spanish or bilingual appropriate for these grade levels.

Computers (Window XP capable) are in great demand to enrich primary schools and train students for future employment. Computers also help special education children with their broad varieties of enrichment needs.

Sports equipment, appropriate for children in primary school, is also in great demand.

Senior citizens and/or adults with mobility problems – Adult diapers are godsends for senior citizens or young adults with severe cerebral palsy. Also needed are wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, bedside commodes, shower chairs, Hoyer lifts, adult diapers, and liquid diet supplements.
People living in remote areas such as the fishing villages around Las Higuerillas – Basic health and medical supplies are needed, such as vitamins for children, young mothers, and the elderly, rubber gloves, gauze, tape, iodine and antibiotics, cold and cough medicines, both adult and child, in winter and anti-diarrhea in the hot summer months again for all age levels.

Another item of great value to these remote areas is the book “Where There is No Doctor” (in Spanish).

Warm clothing for winter is needed in remote areas, especially sweatshirts, blankets, and quilts.

CUPS would also like to be able to support churches in these areas by providing them with Spanish language Bibles. Biblia Direct has affordable Bibles - #10108 - Blue Fiesta cover/ #10190 - Blue Jewel cover or #10191 - Classic Antique cover

Collection Points

CUPS is able to transport donations from Houston or Austin. The LaGrange ministerial alliance arranges transportation of donations to CUPS and other RGV organizations. Donation pickup may be possible from other cities with advance notice for planning. Call Louise Flippin to work out the details.

Collection Points in Texas include

Kingwood (Houston) – Chris Friedersdorf (281-361-4439)
Austin – John Moore (512-250-9491)