Sunday, August 1, 2010

Teach A Man To Fish..........

I ran across this great story that I'm sure a great deal of people don't know. It revolves around a farmer from Indiana named Dan West. It's the kind of story that gives us real answers to the problems of the world, not the useless flow of money we are accustom to throwing at hunger and poverty. Let's take a look at how American exceptionalism and compassion addresses this issue.

In the 1930's Dan worked as a relief worker in the Spanish Civil War. His job was to distribute powdered milk so people wouldn't go hungry. There was never enough, and he had to make daily decisions who would go hungry. Every day he saw the same starving children, and it pulled on his heart. He couldn't help but think of his own health daughters, on his farm, back in Indiana. Then came the solution....

Give them a cow, not a cup!

He started by sending 17 cows to malnourished children in Puerto Rico. After World War 2 he sent more cows to Europe and Japan, then to poverty stricken Africa and South America.

His generosity came with a catch... When each animal gave birth, the newborn calf had to go to another family. The gift had to continue.

One man, one idea, seventeen cows! Today Heifer International feeds over 8.5 million people in 125 countries. And it's all because one man saw a need and applied some ingenuity. Once again proving, problems are best solved by the private sector, not government intervention.

We can make a difference!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

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