Spreading joy
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on December 23, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Vernita Hagans, 11, holds her cousin Camari McKinney, 2, after he received his gift at the Lincoln Homes Community Christmas Party sponsored by First African Baptist Church on Tuesday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Members of First African Baptist Church serve hamburgers and hot dogs to the families in attendance Tuesday.
Brooke Miller was sitting in the corner of the fellowship hall of First African Baptist Church Tuesday afternoon, rocking her 3-month-old son, Jasiah, with one hand.
Her 3-year-old son, Semaj, sat in the chair beside her.
She told herself she wasn't going to come.
"But they came and got me," she said with a smile.
Members and volunteers from the First African Baptist Church held a Lincoln Homes Community Christmas Party on Tuesday, feeding nearly 20 of the neediest families in the Lincoln Homes community and sending every child home with a gift, a full stomach and supplies for a Christmas dinner in hand.
The event was all about ensuring those who have so little will have enough to have a good holiday.
"It's a blessing. A lot of people don't have this," Ms. Miller said. "I'm blessed to be able to have food in my house this Christmas. First African Baptist always takes care of people in Lincoln Homes. It's exciting to know they want to give back to us and aren't using us for their own benefit to make themselves look good. They care about us."
Larry McEachern was the contact point for the church, identifying the neediest families in the community and ensuring they were able to come to the event on the rainy day.
Jacqueline Hibbert reached out to the pastor of the church, Louis Leigh, to see if they could hold the event at the church.
He emphatically agreed to the idea.
"We did events like this when I first came to the church, then it died down for a little bit, and I wanted to start it up again this year," Ms. Hibbert said. "It's always been a passion of mine to help the needy."
Ms. Hibbert said the total investment in Tuesday's event was roughly $1,500. Each box that was sent home with the families after the meal included one turkey, two chickens, a bag of grits, a box of breakfast sausage, a carton of 18 eggs, a bag of rice and several cans of assorted varieties of vegetables.
Items were purchased, or they were donated by Hamilton Funeral Home, Haskins Funeral Home, J.C. Penney and Belk.
"Those were where our main donations from outside the church came from, and the congregation here has also donated and provided an outpouring of support," Ms. Hibbert said.
Helping the neediest members of the community is critical, especially during the holidays.
"I've been here for 12 years now, and this isn't the first time we've done it. Every three or four years the needs we hear are recycled," Leigh said. "What hit us so hard is we kept hearing about kids in our community going without food -- they're coming home without having eaten, and won't have dinner at home. So that became our biggest concern, was the food. Making sure they all got fed. Making sure they go to bed warm and with their belly full."
Leigh said he loved seeing his congregation rally around the neediest members of the community.
"Any time something like this is happening we want to do more of it," Leigh said. "I hope that 15 members of our church come forward next year and want to do something like this."
Ms. Hibbert said the toys for the children were selected by asking them what was on their Christmas list, and then going out and buying any toy that was $10 or less so the majority of the funds could be funneled towards addressing the need for food.
The toys ranged from dolls to remote control helicopters, from footballs to educational toys.
And it meant the world to those who were receiving the food and gifts.
"It's good that we have a church here that is willing to help us out," said Taneeya Artis, whose son received a warm meal and a toy to take home. "It's definitely for the kids, it's not really about us."