 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Harbor
Helpers
Watch This Video
| Windows Media |
  |
| QuickTime | |
| MPEG |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
|
Airports are not the only sites affected by stricter security since 9/11. For the thousands of sailors who come into U.S. ports, new restrictions often mean they are forced to stay on their ships. That isolation only adds to the loneliness seafarers face on long journeys far from home. But as Kim Riemland (REEM-LAND) reports, some friends on shore are making sure these ship workers are not forgotten. |
|||
 |
|||
 |
New Items | Additional Stories | Archives | ||
SCRIPT:
(Locator: Boston, Mass.)
As the big ships steam into Boston Harbor, most don’t think about the
people on board and the oceans of loneliness they face working months at
sea.
Seafarer’s voice: “I’m homesick.”
(Nat) The Rev. Linda Stetter/First United Methodist Church, Marlborough:
“So you’ll be gone from home for over a year.”
Pastor Linda Stetter and others at First United Methodist Church in
Marlborough, Massachusetts have made it a mission to help the seafarers.
(Nat) The Rev. Linda Stetter/First United Methodist Church, Marlborough:
“Are there special things that you would like to say a prayer for
tonight? I know your daughter just graduated.”
Manolo Mallorca, Jr./Seafarer: “For me, it’s very far from my family. So
that is the hardest thing for me.”
The Rev. Linda Stetter/First United Methodist Church: “The average
person on the street has no idea that these seafarers exist or how many
of them there are.”
Stetter is a volunteer for the
Seafarer’s Friend Center. Some crew
members can’t even leave their ships because of increased security after
9-11.
The Rev. Linda Stetter/First United Methodist Church: “Most of the docks
don’t even have telephones where the seafarers have access to calling
home.”
Evelyn Golan/ Member, First United Methodist Church: “There’s nothing
any warmer than a hand-knit hat.”
Some volunteers hand-knit wool caps to help sailors used to warmer
climates face bitter Boston winters. Other church members sew bags which
will be filled with toothpaste, razors and other gifts. Young people
gain a new appreciation for the ship workers.
Ryan Mason/12-year-old: “I do this to help the seafarers who risk their
lives to transport goods like coal and gasoline for us, to make our
lives easier.”
So while they may live worlds apart, the ocean brings these friends
together, to help each other.
TAG:
One of the other ways the group helps seafarers is to provide cell
phones and phone cards so they can stay in touch with friends and
family.
The group says it welcomes 90% of the ships that enter harbors in the
area.
For more information, contact the First United Methodist Church of
Marlboro 508-485-1980, or log onto
http://www.marlboroumc.com. You can
also check out Seafarer’s Friends at
http://www.seafarersfriend.org.