SILVER SPRING, Md.--The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has launched its annual Disaster and Famine Relief Offering (DFRO) appeal, an international fundraising drive that will culminate on May 9 when thousands of Seventh-day Adventist Church congregations are invited to contribute to ADRA's worldwide disaster and famine relief responses through the offering plate.

"While millions are subject to natural disasters, hunger, and instability, we are reminded that pain is never too far away. And as these situations bring deep heartache to our lives, we unite through the Disaster and Famine Relief Offering to care for our fellow human beings," said Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International.

The success of previous annual DFRO offerings has allowed ADRA to respond not only to situations of food insecurity, but also to natural disasters and political instability, which have threatened the livelihoods of entire communities.

In early 2008, political violence forced thousands of families to flee their communities in Kenya. ADRA cared for approximately 24,000 individuals for more than three months providing shelter, food, clothing, medical supplies, water and sanitation, and post-trauma counseling. In addition, due to the high influx of newly orphaned children, ADRA constructed clean water and sanitation systems at 30 orphanages.

When Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar on May 2, 2008, ADRA was among the first non-governmental organizations to respond, providing immediate aid for survivors in the remote Pyinsalu islands located on the southern edge of the Irrawaddy Delta, the region hardest hit by the storm. During following weeks ADRA staff traveled by boat to provide food for survivors in isolated communities.

In November, as violence intensified between government and rebel troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province, food in the city of Goma became scarce, causing food prices to double, and leaving thousands without access to nourishment. ADRA mounted an emergency response to provide food, blankets, and other essential items to some of the more than 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) that were uprooted from their homes in the region.

In 2008 alone, ADRA responded to more than 70 emergencies around the world, including Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

"Through the Disaster and Famine Relief Offering, ADRA is extending an open invitation to every person to become a humanitarian," said Hearly Mayr, director for Public Awareness at ADRA International. "For someone who has nothing and desperately needs help, every bit counts."

To give to ADRA's Disaster and Famine Relief Offering, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or go to www.adra.org.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.