Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Soup Kitchens - Help Still Vitally Needed
Please forgive the absence of news about our efforts to help the earthquake victims. As many of you know I have been and am still I hospital following an operation and have been out of touch for the past week.
However, I am receiving reports from our Diocesan workers in the Ica region and can pass on the following information from Pastor Zevallos, who is coordinating our work. His update was written on August 29:
"Today we have opened a fifth feeding point in Villa San Pedro, the Camen area of Ica. So far we have feeding points in San Juan Bautista, El Olivo, El Carmen, San MartÃn and now Villa San Pedro.... For the opening of the soup kitchen in San Martin the Mayor, Licenciado Jorge Quispe, was present and he gave us an industrial gas cooker, a full canister of gas, two large cooking pots together with a sack of rice, sugar, pasta, oats and beans, two boxes of milk, and various other foodstuffs."
"To begin the soup kitchens in the Chincha and Pisco areas we shall need six cookers and gas canisters, twelve cooking pots and utensils."
Seminarian Pastor Zevallos
Finally, I am proud to say that our seminarians, who have a break from classes this week, are almost all currently down in Ica working in the soup kitchens.... by their own decision.
Pictures show (from top, left to right):
- People gathered at one of the soup kitchens
- Organising the relief effort
- Padre Jesus helping organise the soup kitchens
- Homes destroyed by the earthquake
- More damaged houses and emergency water butts
- The banner of the Anglican 'Emergency Mission'
- The seminarians camped out in Ica
- The Mayor presenting cooking equipment to the team
- Loading the lorry in Lima
- Getting ready to leave
- Piles of foodstuffs prior to departure
- The journey south in the back of the lorry!
