Photo: Wayne Custer (left), president of the Northeastern Jurisdiction of UM Men, accepts an award from Wade Mays, an executive with the Society of St. Andrews. Mays presented the West Virginia Conference men with an award for the highest percentage increase in giving to Meals for Millions. Custer, a resident of the state, accepted the award on behalf of the annual conference.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –– When 24 men agreed to save a quarter a day, persons who need Bibles, earthquake victims in Haiti and hungry people in America received gifts totaling $3,600.

In March, 2010, Wayne Custer, president of the Northeastern Jurisdiction of United Methodist Men, challenged conference presidents to put a quarter a day away for the next 365 days.

One year later, Custer found 24 conference presidents had accepted his challenge. They each brought in $91.25, giving a total amount of $2,190.

Contributors then agreed to provide$480 of that total for Faith Sharing New Testaments to be given to friends and strangers.

A total of $960 was set aside to purchase building material for Haiti, an amount matched by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, bringing the total to $1,920.

The remaining $750 was allocated for Meals for Millions, a feeding ministry of the Society of St. Andrews. The timing of that gift couldn’t have been better as it was given prior to an April 30 deadline for an additional $450 from the Feinstein Foundation, bringing the total amount to feed the hungry to $!,200.

When you add all amounts and matching grants, the quarter-a-day campaign netted $3,600 for New Testaments, building materials in Haiti and meals for the hungry.

“God has truly blessed us,” said Custer.

He hopes to double the number of participants in the quarter-a-day effort over the next 12 months.

“Local units of United Methodist Men might consider using the same painless-giving plan to raise funds for local and national missions,” said Custer.