The young members of the New Life Baptist Children’s Church have embarked on a project to donate canned and non-perishable foods to the Family Support Network (FSN) for a 4-month period. Photo: Provided

Dr Sylvia Simmons (left), seen here with President of the Family Support Network (FSN) Judith Charles. Photo: VINO/File

Bishop John I. Cline is encouraging the community, church, children and parents alike to support the efforts of the church to join the good work that FSN is doing. Photo: VINO/File

The community is invited to join the New Life Baptist Church and to bring a canned good or non-perishable good to give to the Children’s Church Ministry on Youth Sunday, November 10, 2013. Photo: VINO/File

The little ones have embarked on a project to donate canned and non-perishable foods to the Family Support Network (FSN) for a 4-month period.

Dr. Sylvia Simmons who works at FSN and also doubles a facilitator of the NLBC’s Children’s Church programme told Virgin Islands News Online that one of the topics discussed at the church programme was how to reach out to the community as children.

“And so what they have done is at the last Sunday of every month they are supposed to bring canned items to give to the cause of the Family Support Network. They are sponsoring Family Support Network for the next 4 months.”

Dr. Simmons said the initiative started last month and has received favourable response from both children and parents. “So far they have brought a box of food in. Of course they depend on the parents to give them the food item so we gave them a note to take to the parents to encourage them to give a child a non-perishable item to bring in at the end of the month.”

She also said the hand over to FSN will be done on a monthly basis.

According to a press release from the New Life Baptist Church (NLBC), the FSN’s food pantry was reported as seeing lower numbers in stock recently.

The project, according to Dr. Simmons, is just one of the projects for the year by the Children’s Church programme of the NLBC. “The children are really enjoying the initiative,” Dr. Simmons told Virgin Islands News Online.

“It’s great to see that our children actually understand the need to help others. They were excited when they brought their first canned goods to church. They are always energetic, but that day they seemed to have more energy because they were happy to help, happy to give to others,” Dr. Simmons had also stated in the press release.

The pantry goods are then distributed to clients of the FSN who may be in need of extra assistance in feeding their families. The church also plans to join the children on Sunday November 10, 2013 by bringing a canned or non-perishable food item.

The press release stated that Bishop John I. Cline is encouraging the community, church, children and parents alike to support the efforts of the church to join the good work that FSN is doing.

“A church is a place of more than spiritual healing. If people are hungry, we have to satisfy their physical needs first then we can minister to their spirits. We believe in total healing and helping at New Life.”

The community is invited to join the New Life Baptist Church and to bring a canned good or non-perishable good to give to the Children’s Church Ministry on Youth Sunday, November 10, 2013.