Budget for homeless, hungry

ON JULY 1 the Newsday published an article titled “Homeless man killed near Grand Bazaar.” The unidentified male was the victim of a hit-and-run accident on June 29. It caught my attention. Another nobody was killed. For other media outlets this was not newsworthy.

We see these street dwellers sleeping on sidewalks, digging in dustbins for scraps of food and begging for money. They are resilient.

Past budgets of many countries have allocated money for the homeless, but these finances never seem to reach those vulnerable people. Future budgets will also include caring for the hungry and homeless, but again it will not have the desired impact.

The Jubilee Memorial Presbyterian Church is one of many religious institutions that seek to regularly brighten the lives of the hopeless and homeless. Last month I visited this church nestled in Caroni.

After the service I noticed food being prepared in an adjoining room. Two church members lit the burners and soon had the food cooking in huge pots. I thought it was lunch for the congregation, but learnt that it was an initiative to serve the homeless called Feed the Need.

Later, while the food was being boxed, two inquisitive children stood quietly nearby and watched the process. They knew the food was for the less fortunate. This activity would influence their impressionable minds. They were witnessing positive role models. Both children were members of the church’s vibrant Sunday School that had been formed three years ago – an ethnically diverse group ministering to a few children who were not Christians.

I could not comprehend how a small church could consistently produce this quantity of food every Sunday for the past six years and five months. This programme was in sync with one of the teachings of Jesus Christ: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…”

I soon learnt that the Feed the Need programme is not financed from the church's coffers. It is sponsored by members of Jubilee Presbyterian who celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or simply want to contribute to alleviating poverty. The cost of preparing these weekly meals is approximately $2,500. Interestingly, a significant amount of the sponsors are non-Presbyterians not associated with the church.

Feed the Need should be a blueprint for other institutions. However, it cannot be forced or imposed upon others. It has to come from the heart. There must be a genuine desire to voluntarily help the less fortunate.

I was surprised to learn that 130 meals are cooked, boxed and distributed to needy people from Constantine Park in Tunapuna to the Croisse in San Juan.

One of the men who supports and co-ordinates the programme said the homeless and hungry are always eagerly awaiting their Sunday meal. He pointed out that those in one group regularly recognise his vehicle and run towards it to collect their box of food.

I wondered about the other hungry people in our country and the Caribbean. Who will feed them on Sundays? Who will feed them for the next six days? I felt guilty. Yes, I am part of the masses who pay lip service to poverty.

Jubilee Memorial is a small diamond of the Presbyterian Church. Indeed, it is a tiny church with a big heart. That Sunday I left the church with optimism.

For almost three decades I have patiently listened to atheists, agnostics and sceptics being critical of the Presbyterian Church, Christianity and religion. At Caroni, I had witnessed a small miracle and it chased away my doubts of a dying or stagnant church.

I am neither a theologian nor spiritual person. But that Sunday I witnessed something that was beyond Presbyterianism – it was volunteerism in action. I saw a small, burning candle that was giving hope and light to the lives of those in darkness.

It was an attempt by some members to ensure Christianity serves the needs of the destitute. It was an effort to ensure one of the teachings of the Bible was being translated into action. The pulpit was dealing with poverty.

Churches must ensure some of the dollars from the offering/collection are directly attacking poverty. The church cannot restrict itself to spiritual food.

Service to the poor, elderly and sick is not a Christian duty. It should be a basic desire of humanity to help others.