A flood of generosity.
That’s what Gene Wint remembers when a local Christian outreach ministry made sure the hardest-hit area residents got free clothes, furniture, appliances and more in the wake of the 2008 Columbus flood.
“We played a great, great part in helping,” said Wint, an Azalia resident and former volunteer Indiana Branch manager for the nonprofit Orphan Grain Train.
The local ministry, whose impact has been felt in Indiana and around the world, will mark its 20th anniversary Sunday at its Jonesville warehouse.
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Orphan Grain Train will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. at 209 Jackson St. The event will celebrate the branch’s beginnings and honor its leaders and volunteers.
The ministry distributes a wide range of donated goods, such as clothes, appliances, furniture, books, medical equipment and electronics, to people in need worldwide.
“The thing that stands out is just seeing God’s hand of blessing in every facet of what we do,” said Gene Ernst, current volunteer branch manager leading an 11-member board since 2015.
He acknowledged that donated items from about a seven-county area of south-central Indiana regularly go to the needy locally and worldwide.
“It’s amazing,” Ernst said. “It seems like that, logically, it shouldn’t be, but it is.”
The outreach was born in 1992 when the Rev. Ray Wilke of Nebraska wanted to help desperately poor and hungry people in Latvia after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The name surfaced simply. The minister envisioned a train traveling the United States picking up carloads of grain that eventually would be shipped to eastern Europe. The orphan segment of the name came from the scriptural admonition for believers to show God’s love to the orphans.
Ernst said the greatest current needs are baby items, including clothes, cloth diapers and blankets. He said people could drop off those items Sunday if they wish or even during off hours inside an adjoining trailer at the warehouse.
George Bobb introduced the ministry to Indiana when he established a warehouse near Seymour in 1998. Following Bobb’s death, Azalia resident Wint offered his farmplace as a collection and distribution center from 2003 until 2015.
After the local flood, Columbus businessman Tom Wetherald offered one of his large unused buildings for the ministry to use to more efficiently meet local residents’ needs. More than 10,000 donated and free items were stored there, Wint said.
“That was all part of God’s plan to help,” Wint said. “I didn’t even have to ask.”
During Wint’s tenure as volunteer manager, Orphan Grain Train expanded its operation to meet the challenging needs after Hurricane Katrina left Louisiana residents devastated in August 2005. The generosity of Hoosiers, including many volunteers, helped provide countless truckloads of supplies that were sent to areas that Katrina ravaged.
A capital campaign began in 2014 to relocate the Orphan Grain Train warehouse. In July 2015, the transition to a new site, the former Southern Indiana Millworks building in Jonesville, was completed.
Today, Ernst serves as volunteer manager alongside 11 board members; a spiritual counselor, the Rev. Doug Bauman; and a countless number of volunteers.
There are 26 branches of Orphan Grain Train across the United States, from Connecticut to California. All are volunteer entities that provide humanitarian relief locally, nationally and internationally.
With administrative costs of 1.5 percent of the donated budget, nearly all financial contributions are used for the intended mission of helping people, Ernst said. Charitynavigator.org has given the ministry a four-star rating for financial integrity.
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What: A nonprofit Lutheran-based outreach providing clothes, furniture, appliances and other needs to people in need locally and worldwide
Celebration: 20th anniversary from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Local warehouse at 209 Jackson St., Jonesville
Donations accepted: Good, clean furniture, kitchenware, household goods and clothes
Branch hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Items may be brought during these times or call the warehouse at 812-405-2045 to arrange a pickup of furniture or appliances.
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