Food for the Soul from Larry’s Food Fund
It’s Holy Week, a time for reflection upon the sacrifice of Jesus. I message Sister Marianne that, Haitian Outreach has wonderful news. Larry’s food fund is sending enough money to feed every child in her school, an Easter Meal with meat! Sister Marianne Duvil is the principal of St. Joseph’s school in Damassin. It is located in the southern area of Haiti. This area sustained some damage during the last earthquake. Recently, Damassin has been cut off from Port au Prince, because of gang violence. She has 300 kindergarten and elementary age children plus staff at the Saint Joseph’s school. Her 300 students always come to school hungry, sometimes they faint due to hunger, and she is deeply troubled by this fact. Today, Sister Marianne is suffering with terrible backpain and has been in bed.
Sister Marianne is thrilled to be able to give her students a full belly, if just for one day. Establishing a breakfast program in Haiti involves a continuous process of applying for grants and donations. Unfortunately, Sister Marianne doesn’t have the skills or resources to undertake a project like that.
The students ate their meal in their classrooms! Food consisted of chicken, rice, peas, beans, macaroni, fried plantains (bananas), and a juice drink. Sister Marianne and the school staff were able to feed 300 students and staff. She also had food for many of the neighborhood children that came to the school when they heard food was being served.
Food insecurity is a huge problem for the students in our program and all the poor in Haiti. Prices for essentials have skyrocketed because of political insecurity, gas shortages, and gang violence. We think about giving up candy, wine or meat on Friday during Lent; they think about when their next meal of rice, beans or macaroni will come.
Sometimes, when we are in the safe space of the USA, we don’t think we make a difference in a place like Haiti, but we can, and we do. It may not be on the scale of Bill Gates or Mother Theresa, but light is light, and love is love. Hope can’t be measured on any scale but, only in the perception of the individual. Our generous donors to Larry’s food fund and Haitian Outreach, have given the gift of hope, of food, of lifting spirits, letting the sisters of Queen Mary Immaculate and the children know that Haitian Outreach and its supports have not forgotten them.
Oh, by the way, Sister Marianne popped up out of bed, back pain better and rode on the back of a moto cycle to pick up the money to purchase food for this special Easter Celebration!
Enjoy the faces in the pictures here. We do make a difference, “One Child at A Time”. We have wonderful donors, sponsors and volunteers, who make up Haitian Outreach. Sister Marianne wants to thank you all for not forgetting the least of our brethren as they struggle to live in Haiti.
- Paula Lanson-co-director