THERE is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others. This can be said about the Bluff Methodist Church Helping Hands ministry which has seen good Samaritans persevere against the odds and the dwindling economy to prepare a lunch for underprivileged school children.
The ministry is run by a group women who come in every weekday morning to assist in making sandwiches at the church kitchen. The sandwiches are then delivered to seven schools on the Bluff namely; Bushlands Primary, Fynnlands Senior Primary, Van Riebeek Primary, Dirkie Uys Primary, Marlborough Park Junior Primary, Brighton Beach Primary and Durban Academy High School.
“We make a total of 112 packets of sandwiches everyday and use 23 loaves of bread daily. The teachers distribute these as they are aware of the children in need of the sandwiches. For some children sadly this is the only substantive meal that they may receive during the day. We have been running low on our stock for spreads and sandwich fillings lately, which receive through donations from our congregation and one of our longstanding donors over the years, Bluff Meat Supply. We were fortunate to also receive a donation from Wentworth Hotel recently,” said Martie Hildyard who ensures that the Helping Hands ministry runs like a well oiled machine.
The Helping Hands ministry started small back in 1992 when the church members realised a need to help feed less fortunate school children in the community. The late Tom Lambeth picked up the baton and ran with it and so the worthy initiative was born. After his death in 1997, Hettie Green, the list coordinator and Yvonne Lambeth, the ingredients convenor, carried on and are still at the helm today.
“We rely heavily on these contributions and every little bit counts. We feel that God has called us to do this and if it wasn’t for our faith it would be easy to give up. Anyone can make difference, even if it just one tin of jam that will help,” shared a heartfelt Martie. The church is on the corner of Wesley and Pearce Roads, Bluff. To make a donation or to lend a helping hand contact Martie Hildyard on 072-321-0653 or the Bluff Methodist Church on 031-466-5540.
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