Volunteers needed for CARE for AIDS hunger project
Jennie Koomar leads a game for some friends in Nairobi, Kenya, during a family trip. Photo by Carolyn Rose
Families in Bay Village and the surrounding communities will have a chance to be part of an incredible program that is helping parents with HIV/AIDS to live healthy lives, raise and support their children, and be a part of their community. We need 600 volunteers to pack 100,000 meals for the clients of CARE for AIDS in Nairobi, Kenya.
The CARE for AIDS Hunger Project will take place at Bay High School on Saturday, Nov. 18. There are two shifts: noon-1:30 p.m. and 1:30-3:00 p.m. All ages are invited to help.
Volunteers will package foods such as rice, beans and lentils. The boxes will be loaded into trucks run by Feeding Children Everywhere, a partner organization, who will ship the pallets of food to Kenya.
Our family had the opportunity to travel to Kenya in June and see first-hand the good work that CARE for AIDS is doing there. Working through local churches, they provide a nine-month program for HIV/AIDS patients in which they learn how to take their medications, the importance of heathy food and clean water, skills to earn money for their families and are provided with spiritual support and guidance. This program also provides a chance for the clients to be connected to their community and receive acceptance. This support is desperately needed because the people living with HIV/AIDS are outcasts from their families and communities.
While many skills are learned through CARE for AIDS, the end goal is for the parents with HIV/AIDS to live longer lives so that their children do not become orphans.
We had a chance to visit the clients in their homes and churches and hear how CARE for AIDS has changed their lives, allowed them to raise their children, and helped in stopping the disease from spreading further. More than 10,000 people have gone through the program since it began in 2007. Over 32,000 children have been prevented from becoming orphans due to the services and care provided by these amazing and dedicated people.
The CARE for AIDS Hunger Project is your chance to help! The food packing will be a fun, high-energy community event that you can experience with your friends and family. All ages and abilities are welcome. We hope to see you there.
Those interested in volunteering should register at tinyurl.com/BayHungerProject.