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H4H Executive Director, Yolanda Darville, Pastor Dale Moss of Church of God of Prophecy, and H4H Corporate Partnerships
& Volunteer Coordinator, Courtney Hamm are pictured at the Church on Feb. 15, 2012 during an agency visit.
When did you hear of the Hands for Hunger mission, and why were you attracted to our cause?
"I heard of Hands for Hunger in its infancy stage, and it was most appealing to us because we had not long launched an at risk youth program that was becoming overwhelming by the demand to serve hot meals to in excess of 35 students daily and as many fifty adults twice per week. So when Hands for Hunger introduced the idea of sponsoring a food recovery program this was a welcomed assistance to our intervention efforts."
How was a relationship established and when? Did you approach the organization or did H4H reach out to Church of God of Prophecy?
"I heard of the Hands for Hunger mission when Mrs. Kolamae Pedican of Kemp Road Urban Renewal who introduced me to Ms Alanna Rodgers founder, as her initial research exercise to determine prospect needs, established relationship with the Church of God of Prophecy, Life Transformation Centre . We were excited and welcomed her project as she was sharing a need to fill a great void in our community outreach efforts."
How many meals do you provide a day/week/month and how many of those do you think can be directly attributed to food deliveries from H4H?
"We provide up to 38 meals per day, weekly up to 167, as many as 489 meals per month. This includes participants of the at risk program, underprivileged and elderly in the immediate community. Further we supplement Church of God of Prophecy, National Social Outreach Ministry food department. C.O.G.O.P., National Social Outreach Ministry supplies to four food centres across New Providence, including soup kitchens and delivery to the elderly as well as assisting under privilege families.
Serving a cumulative 150 meals per week this ministry reaches families that truly are benefited by Hands for Hunger food recovery program. Of the combine total of 400 meals and grocery packages served, some 85% are supplied as a direct result of Hands for Hunger’s deliveries."
Share some information about what makes your after school, food bank and outreach programs unique. Why is it an admirable program, worthy of support from the community?
"Youth on Track Intervention Program is a faith based initiative, collaborating church with professionals inclusive of psychologists, child care professional, counselors, volunteers facilitators and mentors in an organize structured after school program.
What makes this program unique is that we engage at risk youths, referrals from law enforcement agencies, schools and frustrated parents, some of said students would have normally been required to serve time at Willamae Pratt Centre for Girls or Simpson Penn Centre for Boys. Our objective is to ensure that the said youths remain in their individualized school environment and family settings through the rehabilitative process and refocus efforts.
We have therefore experienced an 85% success rate. Subsequently, we have observed correlation with our efforts and the direct and indirect impact resulting in a reduction in anti social behavior in our immediate community. Anti social reductions such as a decline in teen pregnancy, truancy, drug usage, violent and confrontational activity, these are some successes that have been observed.
This program has evolved into North Eastern Student Refocus Assistance Program (NESAP), a multi centre, suspension program under the Northeastern Pastors’ Alliance, comprised of more than ten centres operating in church facilities, in the north eastern New Providence. NESAP receives suspended students from the Ministry of Education’ Junior and Senior high District of schools in said division. A vital part of why the students are positively responding to the program’s strategic plan is due to the elimination of distractions such as inadequate meals and unstructured environment.
We feel due to these and other successes the benefit to the community is immeasurable and our partnership with Hands for Hunger help to make this all possible."
In recent years, have you noticed an increase in persons relying on your feeding program? If so, do you believe that is because of a global increase in food prices, or current high rate of unemployment, or another factor?
"It would appear to me that both global increases in food prices and the current high rate of unemployment are playing a factor in the increases that we are seeing in the feeding programs.
However I would deduce, though not entirely scientific due to the absence of empirical data, there might be other factors contributing to this dilemma. Factors such as the family dynamics that are shifting culturally, in that, persons are less likely to seek assistance from family members and friends than they would from an assistance program. Combined with the unemployment issues and economic down turn of recent years, there is a greater likelihood that if family members fall into joblessness they are more inclined to seek help from an agency, rather than a family member."
