As tens of thousands of people begin to rebuild their homes and businesses in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many retired ministers and widows are able to sustain their lives thanks to GuideStone Financial Resources and its Adopt An Annuitant program. GuideStone has guidelines in place to provide emergency grants – ranging from $500 to $2,000 – to its Adopt An Annuitant recipients.
As Katrina’s devastation was determined, GuideStone staff contacted Adopt An Annuitant recipients to check on their situation and offer help.
“We’ve provided extra assistance to about 25 people,” said John Ambra, director of Development. “That support has helped them in meeting insurance deductibles, replacing lost food, clean-up assistance, and replacing shingles on the roof. In fact, we paid for metal sheeting that ripped off one of our participant’s roofs.”
“The best news is none of the annuitants we currently help have lost their lives,” Ambra said.
One of the annuitants assisted by GuideStone’s emergency financial aid was Mary Hodges of McComb, Miss. During Katrina’s landfall and deluge on her southwest Mississippi home, Hodges said she went from room to room in her house praying God would protect her property and her church.
“The Lord was with me and I did not get afraid,” she said. “And not a limb fell on the house. It was miraculous.”
Hodges’ home received some roof damage from the winds – not to the point of leaking, she stressed – but the lack of power in the days following Katrina allowed food in her refrigerator and freezer to spoil.
“The check makes the difference in what I am able to eat, compared to what I could have without it,” she said, adding that the difference in the supplemental income she receives through the Adopt An Annuitant program means the difference between eating beans or eating meat.
Hodges said that her neighborhood and city are beginning to take shape in the rebuilding post-Katrina. A group from Missouri came down and cut up limbs of trees that had fallen, and trucks carted off the tree limbs.
We’re getting in good shape,” she said. “It’s starting to look like people live here instead of a war zone.”
Ambra said that the program has been able to provide this extra assistance to recipients like Hodges because of the generosity of Southern Baptists who give to the Adopt An Annuitant program.
The program provides financial support for nearly 2,500 retired Southern Baptist ministers or their widows whose income is insufficient to meet their daily needs. Qualifying individuals receive $200 a month and qualifying couples receive $265 a month. The Adopt An Annuitant program can accept a gift of any amount and nothing is taken out for administrative costs — 100% is used to help someone in need. Additional information is available on our Web site or by calling 1-888-98-GUIDE (1-888-984-8433).
“The faithfulness of our donors is the reason we are prepared to respond in emergency situations,” he said. “Because of that support, we’ve been able to provide additional funds to help with the unexpected needs our recipients have faced, and we’ve had the privilege of being able to give some comfort to folks who were dealing with tough circumstances.”