Community pulls together to help the needy

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21: Big-hearted residents and companies have backed a church programme to feed the needy with massive donations of food.

Business bosses yesterday donated crates of tinned food, while the community also pitched in to assist the Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist appeal.

Expatriate couple Rick and Hilary Williams responded by donating more than 70 stuffed toys collected over more than a decade, as well as handing over cash. Ms Williams, an underwriter with Hamilton-based Axis, said she and her husband, originally from North Carolina, were touched by the appeal. “Any small kid enjoys stuffed animals – I’d rather have a child have them than let them go to waste,” she said.

Mr Williams added: “We love Bermuda and all the good people here. We collected the toys over the years for our son Jack, who’s now 13, so he’s outgrown them. We hope they’ll put smiles on kids’ faces.”

Bermuda’s big businesses also chipped in to help – supermarkets MarketPlace and Arnolds and distribution companies Butterfield & Vallis and BGA all donated crates of tinned food and other food items.

Church Pastor Kenneth Manders said: “We’re delighted at the response — the partnership with the community has been tremendous and we really appreciate that.”

The appeal was launched after numbers attending the church’s long-standing twice-weekly free meals programme rocketed due to the recession.

Organizers said the programme — originally set up to feed the homeless — now saw everyone from families to seniors and young children. Numbers have risen from around 20 to more than 100 as the recession bites into incomes.

Church elder James Landy, who launched the Operation Five Loaves and Two Fish appeal on Tuesday, added: “Mr and Mrs Williams have made a very appealing contribution to the kids of our community. Sometimes when hardship comes it’s tough for kids to smile. We’ll now not just be able to put food in children’s bellies, but put a smile on their faces as well, thanks to that very generous donation.”

The Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist appeal, which is accepting both non-perishable and perishable items, runs until tomorrow night.

The donations will be used to make up boxes of food, with the aim of distributing at least 150 aid parcels from noon to 2pm on Sunday at the King Street, Hamilton, church hall. The church will also have a team of volunteers to deliver to those unable to make it to the church.

James Landy can be contacted on 534-9600, the church at 292-4276 or at [email protected].