Touch Lives in Haiti with Buckets of Hope

You can change a life in Haiti by filling a Bucket of Hope for a Haitian family still suffering from the devastating effects of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

You can help by purchasing a plastic five-gallon bucket and packing it with rice, cooking oil, black beans, flour, sugar, spaghetti noodles, and peanut butter. Once the food supplies are used, Haitian families will find multiple everyday uses for the bucket.

In addition, we are requesting that you include a $10 cash contribution in an envelope attached to the lid of the bucket. These funds will help offset the cost of transporting the relief buckets to Haiti. Buckets can be dropped off at any of our campus locations. Click here to see a list of our campus locations.

Uniform contents are also critical, for packing and to ensure that every Haitian family gets what we tell them is in the box. Each bucket will be identified as a gift of Christian love and support from Southern Baptists churches in America.


**Buckets of Hope must be completed and delivered to one of our campus locations by March 15. **

Click here to see a list of our campus locations.

Instructions for purchasing and packing your Buckets of Hope

The Bucket
Purchase a plain 5-gallon white plastic bucket—new and unused—and tight-fitting lid from Wal-mart (Wal-mart UPC code for the bucket is #098262506408 and the lid UPC code is #9826270645 manufactured by Encore Plastics) or at this website www.usplastic.com.
The price of the bucket is $3.80 a bucket, lids $1.36, plus shipping. Discounts may be available if purchased in certain quantities.

The Food Items
Purchase these commercially pre-packaged food items (may be generic or store brand items). Please do not substitute any item listed and do not add anything additional inside the bucket.
2 – 5-pound bags long grain enriched rice
1 – 48-ounce plastic bottle cooking oil
2 – 2-pound bags dry black beans (can substitute with red beans)
1 – 5-pound bag of all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
1 – 20-ounce cylinder container of granulated white sugar (coffee service size)
2 – 1 pound boxes spaghetti noodles
1 – 2-pound 8 oz plastic jar smooth peanut butter
1 – white kitchen trash-can size plastic bag (wrap bottle of cooking oil)

Packing Instructions

  1. As you pack the bucket, pray for the Haitian family that will receive the food.
  2. Lay bucket on its side.
  3. Place rice packages in bucket. Lay bags side-by-side and flat running in the direction of top to bottom of bucket. Gently compress the bags (without breaking them) as flat as possible to create room for other items.
  4. Place bottle of oil inside a clean, unused trash bag and wrap the excess portion of the bag tightly around the bottle. (This is a precaution to protect the foodstuffs should there be leakage or a break in the bottle during transport.)
  5. Lay the bottle of oil on top of the rice bags. Lay the wrapped oil container so that the bottom of the bottle is at the bottom of the bucket and is approximately in the center of the bucket.
  6. Place the peanut butter jar on one side of the oil.
  7. Place the cylinder of sugar on top of the wrapped oil bottle.
  8. Place boxes of spaghetti noodles on the other side of the oil bottle.
  9. While holding the sugar and peanut butter containers in place, stand bucket upright .
  10. Place one bag of black beans down along the inside of the bucket next to the peanut butter.
  11. Place bag of flour on its side on top of the peanut butter, gently packing down the flour bag to clear the rim of the bucket.
  12. Place second bag of black beans next to the flour on top of the peanut butter.
  13. Close lid on the bucket and make sure it is securely closed.
  14. Place $10 cash (bills only) into a business size (#10) or smaller envelope. Seal the envelope. Securely tape the envelope to the lid of the bucket.
  15. Take the filled Bucket of Hope to your area collection center before March 15, 2010.