What a difference a bowl of rice makes! What joy a toy brings to a child in our shelters!

Gifts-in-kind make a huge difference in our ability to protect and shelter poor abandoned and orphaned children here in our Mercy Centre. Such gifts especially impact the operation of our 23 kindergartens and schools for children living in construction worker camps. We rely on gifts-in-kind in everything we are trying to do.

A beautiful example: foodpanda, a restaurant delivery service, asked its customers to select gifts for Mercy during their 12 Days of Christmas “Light Up a Soul” charity campaign. The results: almost a ton of the most important stuff we need – from rice and cooking oil to toys and stationery.

Gifts-in-kind help lower our operating expenses in the care of our children, our HIV/AIDS patients, the street children we protect daily, and our poorest neighbors in the slums. They allow us to reach out further to support the poorest communities that government ministries and non-government organizations either ignore or don't even know exist.

Please note: Because of customs duties, we cannot accept gifts-in-kind from abroad. However, if you live in Thailand, there may be no better way for you to help those who need our help the most. Photos above and below: Mercy Kids with Panda, staff, Fr. Joe Maier, and foodpanda MD Alexander Felde.