Seventh-day Adventist youth, along with students from the local Adventist academy, made a positive impact recently in Imperatriz, the second-largest city in the northeastern Brazilian state of Maranhão. Its population of 250,000—like the rest of the nation—has been hard hit by the global pandemic.

In one day, the young people collected 300 kilos (approximately 661 pounds) of food donations by offering a mask in exchange for a kilo of food, or 2.2 pounds donated.

Collecting at a local supermarket, the effort was part of the Solidarity Exchange campaign , an Adventist Solidarity Action initiative. Youth from the central Adventist church and the Adventist Academy of Imperatriz organized the collection to help minimize effects of the Covid-19 crisis.

The campaign addressed two needs brought about by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and associated COVID-19 illness: first, the provision of masks, now being required in the city, and second, collecting food for those affected by the crisis.

In partnership with supermarket management, volunteers assembled in the parking lot, inviting people to donate. Most of the protective masks were made and donated by local Adventist dressmakers.

Student Anna Victória Carvalho, a volunteer, was surprised by the receptivity donors on the first day of collections. “Many really wanted to help, so much so that they gave money to buy food there, on the spot. God always surprises us,” Anna said.

The excitement of helping others attracted shoppers who’d already completed their purchases: Gesivaldo Silva, a mathematics professor at the Federal Institute of Maranhão (IFMA), returned to the store and bought basic foodstuffs to donate. 

“Seeing, in front of the supermarket, the people with a mission, I felt a desire to share with others what is within our reach,” Professor Silva said. “When we care for others, we develop a sense of [community],” he added.

It only took a few hours to collect the 300 kilos of food that first day. The Solidarity Exchange campaign will continue over the coming weeks, mobilizing the volunteer team from the city's central Adventist church and the Imperatriz Academy.

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