Adventists in Ecuador help 682 families with food kits :: Adventist News Network

Jun 26, 2020  |  Ecuador  |  Vanessa Castro and Shounny Cruz

Amidst rising poverty in the South American nation of Ecuador, Seventh-day Adventists in the northern part of the country distributed 682 food baskets containing an average of 11 packs of food to families in need.

“During these times of pandemic, we have reached out with food kits to meet the needs of our brethren [and others] in the region. We’re happy to have helped, but we know there is much work yet to be done,” Pastor Luis Velásquez, regional Adventist Church president, said.

Ecuador’s state of emergency, declared in the wake of the COVID-19 global outbreak, will greatly impact the most vulnerable families in the country. Poverty on a national level was up 1.8 percent in 2019 to a 25 percent level, and it’s believed the quarantine will only make the situation worse.

The Adventist Church of Ecuador is working to help those affected by the current crisis, carrying out donations of food and basic products for affected families.

On the weekend of June 15-16, young missionaries in the Ecuador North Mission, along with regional church leaders, prepared the 682 food kits that benefit needy households in the region’s 35 main cities.

Pastor Velásquez said the Adventist Church actively works to help those who need it most, seeking to reach those people with a message of love and hope even as the country is going through a difficult time.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Spanish site