The group has already collected 13 tons of food that will be used in food baskets to benefit hundreds of people. (Photo: Davi Vargas)

South America

Student Records Video and Collects About 80 Food Baskets

Pedro Bittencourt became involved in a solidarity initiative to commemorate 125 years of Adventist Education in Brazil

Brazil | Rafael Brondani

Adventist Education is celebrating 125 years of history in Brazil. To celebrate this milestone, all basic education units in the network joined in a solidarity campaign to collect 125 tons of food that will be donated to needy families and social assistance institutions across the country. Throughout the national territory, 254 tons were collected.

In Brasília, 6,725,000 students from seven school units spread across the Federal District and surrounding areas participated in the action. The group collected 13 tons of food, which will be used in food baskets to benefit hundreds of people. 

A practical example of this is the Adventist College of Asa Sul, in Brasília, which collected more than six tons of food. In recent weeks, volunteers have already delivered donations to institutions such as Instituto Crescer, an entity that welcomes homeless drug addicts and offers free treatment for their reintegration into society.

Way Beyond Expectations

School pastor Arturo Betancourt, who is leading the action at the Asa Sul unit, explains that a challenge was launched to all students, with a target of 172 food baskets. However, the commitment of the students surprised the direction of the college. “We collected around 600 baskets. This number will certainly help many needy families and institutions. We are also going to benefit a group of Venezuelan refugees”, explains the pastor.

Fernanda Bittencourt, mother of seven-year-old Pedro, a student of the network, says her son arrived home with the news and asked to record a video. “He told me that we should fundraise, and then he shot a video. I created a transmission group on a social network, and we managed to get around 80 baskets”, she says in a celebratory tone.

Fernanda emphasizes that the action awakened in the students a sense of solidarity. “My son learned about generosity and his role in society. It was a great learning experience for all of us—an exercise in humility and solidarity that will help many people”, she adds.

Pedro also approved the initiative. “My mom sent the video I recorded to all her friends and our family. With the amount collected, [we] bought the food. I feel very happy to help people”, he emphasizes.

In the video, Pedro introduces himself and appeals to the students: “Hi, my name is Pedro. There is a fundraising campaign [through which] we can help poor people to have food. If you can help, just talk to my mother.” His attitude, which spread to his classmates, led to a collection of around 1,300 items, totaling more than half a ton of food and hygiene items that will benefit socially vulnerable families in the region.

Student removes baskets collected from the car and delivers them to the solidarity campaign (Photo: Disclosure)

Student removes baskets collected from the car and delivers them to the solidarity campaign (Photo: Disclosure)

Actions in Communities

In the coming days, new actions will be carried out for the delivery of food baskets in the outskirts of the Federal District and the surrounding areas. The initiative has been in place since the first week of September and will run until the end of October.

Márcio Castro, director of the Adventist Education Network in the Federal District and surrounding areas, says projects and campaigns like this one, which aim to contribute to the well-being of the community, are routine in all Adventist educational institutions. “Today, we are the largest private education network in the DF. This is the result of our commitment to form citizens committed to society. In addition to offering quality education, we carry out actions aimed at helping those who need it most”, Castro points out.

Maria Elsa was one of the beneficiaries, and the smile and happiness were clear on her face. “I am extremely grateful [to] God for using you. I had nothing at home. May God multiply and give strength and courage to this group so that it can help more people”, she concludes, moved.

Adventist Education

The Adventist Education Network is present in 165 countries, with 9,400 basic and higher education institutions that have more than 2 million enrolled students.

In Brazil, there are 206,000 students spread across 492 school units. Since its inception, Adventist Education has been founded on the premises of a Christian formation and committed to an integral educational process. This means it aims not only at academic excellence but also at practicing responsible citizenship, promoting physical and emotional health, and developing the spirituality of its students.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site

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