Japan expected to join in food distribution project next year
Thousands of Seventh-day Adventist volunteers prepared and delivered boxed dinners to Colombia’s neediest communities, feeding more than 80,000 in two hours on October 13, the Saturday before World Hunger Day. Each church member donated $1.50 to cover the cost of one meal.
The effort was the third annual nationwide food distribution project organized by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Colombia. In the northeastern city of Bucaramanga, other volunteers pitched in, offering free medical treatment, clothing and haircuts. The local fire department provided water for makeshift showers.
Next year, the Adventist Church’s Inter-America region, including its Youth Ministries, plans to join the effort.
Gabriel Villarreal, ADRA Colombia director, hopes the project will catch on in other parts of the world. ADRA Japan’s director, Mitsuo Chris Ishii—who visited Colombia during this year’s food distribution—plans to hold a similar event in Japan next year.
