Local church nears fundraising goal for $90,000 African wall

Father Dan DePew, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Spring Lake, recently announced that $66,000 in funds has been raised by the St. Martin's Kids Ministry toward the building of a 2,400-foot security wall in Africa. The wall will help keep animals and thieves out and the children in - safe and sound at St. Martin De Porres Orphanage Centre in Tanzania. DePew said the money raised so far - including a $15,000 grant from the Koch Foundation - represents two-thirds of the overall goal of $90,000 in donations.

Anonymous

Spring Lake

May 7, 2011

The St. Martin De Porres Orphanage Centre was founded in 1963. It is run by a small congregation of African Sisters known as Our Lady Queen Mother of Africa. The 86 children who currently live in the orphanage range from infant to age 6 — and come from Tanzania, Zambia and Congo.

“Since the Tanzanian contractor estimates the wall will cost $90,000, we have been asking our parishioners during masses at the end of each month to contribute by passing the collection plates,” DePew said. “The cost of the build-out is $38 per foot of wall, and I am overwhelmed with the generosity of our parishioners as we near our overall goal.”

A video of the project and orphans served by the orphanage can be seen on St. Mary’s website: http://home.catholicweb.com/stmaryspringlake/.