‘I’m excited that we’re able to help my country.’ Church members pack food kits for Haitian families in need

On a recent Saturday morning, it took 51 members of the Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Delray Beach less than 90 minutes to pack 658 food kits for families in Haiti.

Using two conveyor belts provided by Food For The Poor, the Coconut Creek-based nonprofit international relief and development organization, the church members filled the kits with pantry staples such as parboiled rice, cornmeal and pasta along with cans of tuna, beans, fruit and vegetables — enough food to feed a family of four for a week — as well as notes of encouragement.

“I’m excited that we’re able to help my country,” volunteer Arney Monthervil said in a statement. “With the situation in the country, right now is the best time to receive something like this. This is the best way you can tell someone about Jesus, by showing love and compassion. When someone gets these food kits, they’ll know someone else is thinking about them.”

According to Food For The Poor officials, the packing event is part of a pilot project it started last year after receiving requests from churches, businesses and organizations to partner with the charity.

Food For The Poor then worked with its partners in the Caribbean and Latin America to come up with a list of foods in specific sizes and quantities that would fit in the kits and easily clear customs, officials said.

“This relationship with Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church is both a platform and a springboard into a larger opportunity with the Baptist Church and other churches,” Michael Chin Quee, Food For The Poor’s executive vice president of church alliances, said in a statement.

Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church recently funded the construction of 20 homes in L’Aisle, Haiti, which was matched by Food For The Poor to build 20 additional homes.

The food kits were brought back to Food For The Poor’s headquarters to be shipped to Haiti.

Visit FoodForThePoor.org.