Kingsway Shutters Local Charities
BRISTOL, Va. – The region’s largest charitable giving organization is shuttering three of its local operations and narrowing its focus to international medical relief, citing a shrinking endowment affected by the plunge in financial markets.
Kingsway Charities, which last year reported $122 million in income, will ax operations serving the hungry, widows and children in the region. It will cut its staff from 16 to six, and focus exclusively on its International Medical Ministry, which donates medical supplies to missionaries in developing countries.
Albert Hester, who will continue to serve as Kingsway’s director, said the charity’s operations are “basically all endowment-funded,” but would not immediately provide details on how much the organization has lost.
The board – controlled by members of the Bristol-based Gregory family, which also endowed the charity – had been discussing cutbacks for months, Hester said in an interview Tuesday, but only reached a decision in the last week of December.
“It was something that was looked at, prayed over and thought about,” he said. “Sadly, we didn’t have any other choice in the matter.”
Hester and his reduced staff are working to connect people with food banks and urging churches to financially support widows that Kingsway had been assisting.
Read tomorrow’s Bristol Herald Courier for details on Kingsway’s finances and future direction.
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For some time, International serviced needs domestically, also. Have they, for some reason, stopped this? Ex., a mission vaccinating children in Philadelphia received free short-dated vaccine from one of the vaccine manufacturers. A woman’s clinic in the U.S. received short-dated pre-natal vitamins.
I’m sorry you had to struggle with homelessness in the past. I’m pleased that you are now afforded the luxury of cable, etc. I commend you for remaining concerned about the plight of others in poverty.
The requirement of an address to receive govt aid is being/has been addressed by numerous states. I can only hope that all states resolve the problems caused by this standard.
Your point on the wealthy in India is well taken. Allow me to offer alternative countries where wealth does not abound—perhaps some in Africa. What of these people? When I was faced with homelessness, I at least knew where the restaurants’ and groceries’ trash was located—to salvage food. There were buildings and infrastructure to offer shelter. What about countries too underdeveloped for such? Or too poor for such?
I don’t know what you mean by “exactly,” unless you are proposing that you somehow know my response to your previously posed question. Since that is impossible, I’ll ask the time to offer my thinking.
The strength of the International service is the sophisticated networking and the reputation for getting the job done. The International service evolved due to a lack of connection between short-dated drugs and those in need of these drugs. Unless there is an org ready to take over what Int’ offers, I don’t believe there is a similar service.
No, I have never been to India. I would suppose by your comment that you have, but I am not ignorant and I do watch discovery channel and crack a book occassionally. There are also VERY wealthy people in India, just like there are here. I just think that the wealthy there should take care of their poverty stricken and let our wealthy take care of ours. International aid is duplicated…are you saying that Kingsway is the only international charity? Exactly.
But, I have been homeless, I have been hungry with no place to go. And without a permanant address you are not eligible for government asisstance. I was turned away for food because I could not provide an address…and your car doesn’t count, I was lucky enough to have had a car to sleep in. I guess people in India don’t have that so that makes my past problems less important.
If this country would spend more time, money and effort on itself instead of the concerns of the other countrys we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in now.
Sorry, that last comment should have been directed to evaningstar in defense of alea.
Evaningstar, you’ve obviously never been to India.
Alea,
You’ve obviously never been to India.
The international piece of the charity is one less easily duplicated. Other local charities and/or churches have the tools to fill-in for Kingsway. What other organization could manage the international?
As to the comment about writing-off the expense of the drug, I don’t believe it. There isn’t enough of a write off to offset the expense of the organization. The “write off response” is just too easy of a way to undermine the good intentions of people.
Alea, you have obviously never been homeless and starving.
I’m surprised that the Gregory’s and Kingsway would abandon the Bristolians for foreign territory,not that I don’t appreciate the work they do,medical supplies are needed, but if “we” turn our back on American soon we will be one of those third world countries and you can bet no one will be there to help us!!
I’m sure the Gregory’s chose the international route so they can write off drugs near the end of their U.S. shelf, write them off and then use overseas where the so called expired drugs are no longer under the watchful eye of the F.D.A. It’s all about the dollar.
I see hat people are saying in the previous comments, but I also understand why Kingsway has chosen to help other countries instead of people here. If I was homeless, I would much rather be homeless here in the US than in a third world country. Most people in the US don’t understand just how bad it is in many other countries where the general population is starving.
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