CHURCH volunteers in Coventry packed 20,500 food parcels in one day to feed children and families in crisis in Lebanon.
The volunteers from the Christian Life Ministries (CLM) Church in Coventry prepared the pack of basic staples such as soya, lentils, and rice at the city’s headquarters of the international-aid charity Feed The Hungry, as part of its Hand-to-Hand programme (News, 29 October). They will provide meals for people facing increasing hardship as a result of the refugee crisis in the Middle East, exacerbated by the pandemic and the coming winter.
The project provides basic food for those in need, and also creates an opportunity for churches to build relationships with their community as teams work towards a common cause.
The Co-Senior Pastor of the CLM Church, Coventry, Esther Storey, said: “We already partner with a church in Lebanon which, for some years, has been providing extraordinary support to thousands of Syrian refugees. The recent economic crisis in the country has made the situation extremely difficult, plunging many Lebanese nationals also into crisis and food poverty. To be able to work with Feed The Hungry, to help provide food for both Syrian refugees and our Lebanese friends has facilitated a very practical and simple way for us to help to make a difference.
“It was great to be so practically involved and was fun to do alongside others. The sense of team together in what we were doing was very special.”
Feed The Hungry’s International Operations Director, Gwyn Williams, said: “Over the last year, we have seen many individuals step up and help those most in need locally.
“As a charity, we are acutely aware of the devastating impact Covid continues to have in communities across the world. We couldn’t support those communities without the army of local volunteers here in the UK willing to give up their time to help pack up meals to feed vulnerable children across the world.
“It’s humbling to know that the congregation of CLM and their local community can make a difference to a child somewhere who’s struggling.”
To participate in a Hand-to-Hand event, email fth.org.uk/handtohand, or phone 01455 618455.