MEMO Ministry

08/21/2026

Mark your calendars and join us

On Sunday afternoon September 20th we will be holding our annual report to our faithful supporters.(See notice below)
Our speaker will be MEMO director Mr Steve Neufeld of Red Deer Alberta who is boots on the ground in Cuba.
Steve is an exceptional speaker and you will be blessed listening to him give an eye witness account of what is going on in Cuba and particularly the churches we work with.

If you live in the Thunder Bay area please plan to attend the MEMO annual fund raising and information afternoon at Grace Church from 2 to 4 p.m.
Thanks for your interest, prayers and support🙏

07/03/2026

Container Reports as per Tom Baxter’s June 26th email…
Container Packed for Zimbabwe, 1st November, 2025
This container was cleared from customs in Harare this week. Fines/charges were assessed.
The process seems to have cost a bit less than in past years.
No doubt we will hear more as the contents are processed at Rasper.

Container Packed for Zimbabwe, 2nd May, 2026
The ship carrying this container rounded the cape at South Africa four days ago, and is now off the southern tip of Madagascar, bound for Malaysia.

Container Packed for Cuba, 6th June, 2026
Unfortunately, this container is still in storage in the trucking yard in Toronto.
There is still no word on a new shipping timetable.
I suspect that after the June voyage was scrapped that all plans will be 'rolled' to mid-July.

Please pray for all of these container situations.

06/04/2026

Reminder about container packing for Cuba, this Saturday, June 6,2026. See below for details from Tom Baxter…

Good evening all:
We have been advised that the next container for MEMO to pack left Toronto early this afternoon.

Your assistance to pack the container is solicited.
We will need a number of lifters (not as much as the heavy beds last time, but some items are still heavy).
As always we will need lifters and movers of other items from small boxes to crutches to pillows.

Saturday, June 6th, 2026.
Location: MEMO trailers on the rise at the west end of Clarke Street, at the south end of the former LPH property.
Time: 9:00 am start.

Please bring a lunch or make arrangements for lunch.

Thank you.

Tom Baxter
807-474-1317

05/30/2026

Good evening MEMO volunteers and interested observers:

A reminder and encouragement:
Please set your calendars for Container Packing Day for Cuba, Saturday, June 6th, 2026.
Location: MEMO trailers on west end of Clarke Street, being the bottom (south) end of the former Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital property.
Time to Start: 9:00 am.
Bring a lunch (and a lawn chair?), or make arrangements to go for lunch.

We have lots of tasks for a usual size (15 -20) of crew, assuming some will come in the morning, some for the afternoon and some for all day.
Many hands make light work.

There will be tasks drawing boxes and other items from certain trailers.
Since we have a principal trailer ( #1) with items for Cuba, but some Cuba items in the three other trailers, we will need to be especially vigilant to read labels and be sure we are drawing items for the correct destination, Los Pinos Nuevos.
Although we do not have 700lb beds this time (there happen to be three beds weighing about 250 to 300 lbs each, that we should send), we will still have a number of boxes and other items that are heavier than average. Therefore, we will need a variety of "lifters" from those with capacity for lighter loads, and some able to take an end to lift a heavier box.
So, ... if you were able to help load the big beds last time you will still be welcome this time.
If you were moving average sizes of boxes last time, you are still needed.

04/25/2026

Update from Tom Baxter:

Please come out and help;there’s Just one week until CONTAINER PACKING for ZIMBABWE, next Saturday, May 2nd.

Location: South end of former LPH property, at the west end of Clarke Street, that is west off Algoma Street.
If you have not been there before, turn the corner off Algoma, and look for our four highway trailers parked at the top of the rise.

Time: 9:00 am start.

Bring your own lunch or make plans to go for lunch.
We try to work staggered shifts through lunch so that while some stop to eat others are still packing.
Sometimes we all stop for a half hour or so to get a breather.
If you want to sit in your car to eat do so, or bring a lawn chair.

The Big Task this time: Moving hospital beds stored at Keefer Terminal, and loading them in the container.
Dave March has a plan.

As per last week, we can use men to help stand the beds up in the container.
Any younger guys willing to volunteer, in their 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s, are encouraged to join us.
We can spell each other off.

We need a crew in trailer #3 to move boxes as the packers request them. The focus will be on priority medical supplies and other items to go on top of the beds.
We look forward to seeing folks there.

Please pray for the container to arrive in good time as usual, and for the driver to have success.
Please pray for a successful, safe packing day, as we always seek.

This Week at MEMO
258 Van Horne Street, 9:30am to 1:00 pm.
Focus will be on getting ready any remaining items we want to send.

Update on our November 1st container:
It is still at anchor offshore from Beira, Mozambique.
The revised date for discharge at the port of Beira in Tuesday, April 27th, 2026, one day sooner than last report.
Please pray for this process to follow to its conclusion successfully.

Tom Baxter
MEMO Operations
807-474-1317

04/13/2026

https://www.healthsciencesfoundation.ca/apr-4-2026-3?fbclid=IwdGRjcARJvQljbGNrBEm822V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHk4fNMHenRsd3HJMktpygzE907FDkbLVkx7TGlEKN8zD1u8QSyueA-93mNNd_aem_YZBWA7qFCI8U7eArNr01zQ

When Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) retired 76 inpatient beds, many more than 20 years old and no longer meeting the demands of modern care, ...