by Cheryl Senn
According to Pastor William D. Sanchez of the Faith Family Worship Center Apostolic Church (FFWCAC) in Sanger, more than 650 people were served a free meal, were registered and given free school supplies, and had their name put in a prize drawing for free bicycles, during their second annual Back to School Community Outreach event.
Children and families enjoy a barbecued hot dog meal before the school supply giveaway
Sanchez said the church gave away food and supplies last year, and this year they were more prepared. Families are registered so the church can keep a roster of people they are serving and making contact with, so those same families can be informed of upcoming church events.
“Our main purpose here today is mainly just to help the community. You know we are living in tough times and economically it’s really hard for a lot of these families to provide the school supplies for their children and so we’re trying to help them just a little bit,” said Sanchez.
Families, after registering, received a free hot dog lunch, which included a barbecued hot dog, chips and a drink along with a Hawaiian Shaved ice.
Some of the recipients of the free backpacks
The FFWCAC is a relatively new church in Sanger, located on the corner of P and 11th Streets, and this December they will celebrate four years in the community. The congregation totals 65 members. “We’re a very active church. We’re a church that is on fire for the Lord,” continued Sanchez.
All the food, school supplies and bikes were donated by the congregation. The bags of pre-packed school supplies included pencils, paper and notebooks. Backpacks were also given away.
Jennifer Diaz, a student at Lincoln School who was eating lunch there with her family, said about the FFWCAC school supply give away, “I think it’s really nice because not a lot of people can afford school supplies.”
Sanchez stated that the church’s goal was to let the people in the community of Sanger know there are many churches in Sanger who come together, in unison, “to show them that, as the body of Christ, we love our community…We love the people of the community and we’re here to serve them.”
While families ate their lunch, Chrissy the Clown entertained the children and the event ended with a piñata game.
Crissy the Clown entertains the children
“What’s neat about Sanger is the groups of people that have gotten together to make events like this happen,” said Sanger Mayor Joshua Mitchell. “A real neat event that was put on by a bunch of people that care and love Sanger.”
Sanchez was glad community members were able to come out for fellowship and have fun. “Community wise, our main goal is to let them know that we genuinely truly love them.”
0 Comments