By Bill W. Cooper
As the Coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 continue to affect the world globally with Liberia being of no exception, the St. Kizito Parish over the weekend donated several food and non-food items worth little over US$5,000 to various communities in Paynesville City.
The items included; 227 washing hand buckets, 100 bags of rice, 60 cartons of soap and 70 gallons of oil among others, as the beneficiary communities of the gesture were the Outland, Shara and Soul Clinic Communities respectively.
Making the donation on April 3, 2020, at his Kizito office in Paynesville, the Financier of the Parish, F. Bennio Blashua said that the donation to the three communities was their way of response to the Coronavirus pandemic which he said is taking a global toll on every citizen’s lives and economies.
Mr. Blashua noted that as a church through their charity and welfare committee, it was prudent enough to donate the various food and non-food items to the said communities, indicating that though it is not much to cover all of the communities and residents, but it is their way of showing that the church is sharing God’s love to those who he said are in need making reference to Book of Mathew 25:40 which states, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Financier Blashua added that the items donated over the weekend was not part of their regular quarterly charity to the elderly, housebound parishioners, prisons among others, but instead, a donation in response to the emergency situation that the outbreak of the COVID-19 has caused for the country.
He then lauded the parishioners, both in Liberia and abroad for their continuous support to their charity including the benefactors, and stressed, “Through their support, we continue our mission of reaching out, evangelizing and touching lives, remembering that it is truly blessed to give, and that we also want to encourage parishioners, philanthropists and non-Catholics to continue to lend a hand in need during these difficult times.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Blashua is at the same time urging Liberians to observe all precautionary measures put in place by health authorities ranging from the washing of hands thoroughly with soap and water, covering of mouth and nose with his/her elbow while sneezing, as well as the avoiding of social distancing, averring, “It may be difficult but this is the only way we can keep ourselves, love ones, family and friends safe and protected against the spread of the virus.”
Receiving the items on behalf of the three communities, a resident of the Outland community, Joseph Jallah lauded the church for the gesture, emphasizing that the items came at the time when they were needed, most especially a time when the virus seems to be affecting the whole world’s economies.
He then called on other churches, Non-governmental Organization, Philanthropists, Civil Society Organization, and other well-meaning Liberians to follow the footstep of the Catholic in giving to the needy during the time of the pandemic.
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