Living Water Community feeds thousands

THE Living Water Community brought smiles to the faces of thousands of homeless and less fortunate, as 2,500 lunches were distributed on Christmas Day.

When Newsday visited the Living Water Community on Frederick Street in Port of Spain at l pm, volunteers were busy preparing lunches.

Rosemary Scott, assistant director of the Living Water Community, said the initiative was not just about Living Water as the people who each contributed $50 made the day possible. The needy got party bags when they left Living Water and the children got toys.

Scott said, "The Living Water Community has been working with the poor from its inception and one of the things that we do is every year we have Christmas lunch for the poor. It is our way of bringing Jesus to them. To me this is what Christmas is about, this is what we celebrate. It is not about us getting presents, but it is about us sharing what we have and people are extremely generous because every year people contribute towards that."

Scott said volunteers arrive in the wee hours of the morning to support the cause. "We have amazing volunteers. We get here at five in the morning and I would say from 5.15 people start arriving to help. Whether it is to help in the kitchen, get the pastelles in the oven or start cooking the rice and peas. Until we close off (we have people helping and) we go until maybe three, four o'clock by the time we clear up."

Scott said people still find the time to help before they spend time with their families. "People come in and give an hour and go to their families or some come and spend the entire day. It's absolutely amazing and every year more people or different people come. They say, 'I want to experience what this is.' It is beautiful, Trinidad is a beautiful place and we have beautiful people. It is always very heart warming."