Griffin community rallies to send supplies to Congo | News

GRIFFIN — Last month, the Griffin community came together to help children thousands of miles away. By the end of the day, 39,300 pounds of supplies and equipment had been safely tucked away to eventually reach the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Griffin-native Coleman Bailey and his organization, Children’s Refuge, hosted volunteers at their North Expressway property to “Pack If for Purpose.”

The items packed in the shipping container include, a 50-by-100-foot steel building donated by Desoto Christian Academy, a three-tier playground donated by Todd Ashabranner, new clothing and school supplies from members of the Griffin community, children’s athletic gear donated by Joshua Brown and a sound system for a church.

Local children also volunteered with the organization, selling $700 worth of lemonade, with the proceeds going toward Children’s Refuge.

Bailey has worked with children in need since 2015 when he moved to Kathmandu, Nepal after a particularly devastating earthquake. His work eventually took him to Africa and other areas affected by war and humanitarian crises.

“One thing kind of led to another, and I wound up in Africa,” Bailey said. “Over the past few years, I launched an organization called Children’s Refuge, and I launched a bunch of children’s homes and orphanages around the world. But most of my time is spent oscillating between two major war zones of Ukraine and DR Congo.”

Children’s Refuge opened its orphanage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019. The facility now serves more than 300 children.

The organization’s work in the region has become particularly significant as eastern Congo continues to face severe violence and humanitarian challenges. The area is also currently dealing with an Ebola outbreak.

“There’re so many more children outside of here that we support and supply the needs of,” Bailey said on a phone call as he stood inside his orphanage in eastern Congo. “There are very few organizations and very few people that are working in this region because of the extreme violence of this area.”

The recent packing effort also marked the first time Bailey has organized a shipment of this kind out of Griffin. The supplies were packed at a property on North Expressway that has a personal connection to Bailey’s family.

His great-grandfather purchased the building in 1974, when it was known as West Griffin Building Supply.

“It’s now a car lot in an insurance agency, but behind it, it was just abandoned,” Bailey said. “So earlier this year, I kind of had this epiphany like, ‘man, what if we just brought it all straight to Griffin and shipped it out of there?’”

The Aug. 8 event received support from several local churches and organizations, including Center Point Church, Mt. Gilead Baptist Church and City of Refuge South.

The effort is intended to be the first of several. Bailey plans to host another packing event in October as Children’s Refuge works toward sending another container overseas. Those interested in learning more about Children’s Refuge or the upcoming packing effort can email info@childrensrefuge.org.