Members of Adventist Solidarity Action (ASA) in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, now have a customized van to serve families in situations of social vulnerability. The vehicle is used during services to needy communities in the city and region with basic food baskets, clothes, shoes, furniture, and small freight, as well as transporting passengers to church services.

Since October 2022, when the vehicle started being used by ASA, the KombASA has transported about 7 tons of food, 2,000 pieces of clothing and shoes, and 30 pieces of furniture.

Reubia Machado Rosa is one of the people assisted by ASA. She works as a secretary and has been raising her son alone for eight years. "This KombASA action always helps me when I need a basic food basket, because we can't always supply all the necessities at home. So it helps my family a lot," she says.

During a Christmas event of the Residents Association of the Ponta Aguda neighborhood in Blumenau, ASA donated 100 food baskets to the needy families that were at the festivity. All the food was transported by KombASA. "The church is a first aid for us, because [only] the public power and we are not able to help those in need," says Cléber José, president of the Residents' Association, with thankfulness.

Professionalizing Courses

Soon the vehicle will have a mobile workshop with professionalizing courses in handicraft and cleaning manufacturing products, explains Ademir Martins dos Santos, ASA's regional director. The purpose of this project is to teach new professions who contribute to the family income and in the formation of new entrepreneurs. 

The vehicle was nicknamed “KombASA” by Ademir himself, who, besides being the director of ASA, is also the owner of the Kombi. "I always had the dream of having an ASA mobile service. And I like Kombi. So I thought of some names and did some pencil arts, until the idea of the KombASA came up," says Ademir.

Still, according to Ademir, he has another vehicle intended for personal daily activities and uses the KombASA almost exclusively to serve the community.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.