Churches gather donations for community ahead of Easter
JACKSON, Tenn. — Two area churches are giving back this Good Friday.
First Assembly of God in Jackson is working to help those who serve the community by organizing donations to restaurant employees across Jackson.
“Our restaurants and our restaurant workers have been hit one of the hardest with the lack of work, the lack of business, the closings of businesses, the reduction in income that has come in, and so we just wanted to do something to try to reach out and make a difference to them,” said Senior Pastor Garry Martin.
On April 12 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., the church will be opening their doors to those employees to grab care package full of household supplies, food and other items.
There’s a total of 150 care boxes in the room as of Friday, but Martin says by Giving Day, he hopes it will be a total of 200.
He says the overall impact he wants to have on each server is to just to put a smile on their face.
“You go into a restaurant and one of the first things they say is we’re here to take care of you today. Well, we just want to in turn show them that we care, we noticed, we understand, we feel their pain and we want to try to bring a smile to their face and let them know that not only we care, but Jesus Christ cares,” Martin said.
On Friday, Straight Way Apostolic Faith Church in Jackson also dropped off donations to the Dream Center, providing the women there with toilet paper, baby items and household products.
“We decided as part of the women’s forum that a lot of times there are a lot of women who are struggling more than we are, and our way of giving back to the community is by donating these items,” said Mitiz Merriweather, with Straight Way.
Merriweather says her church wanted to recognize the Dream Center for all the work they do supporting women and children.
“Even during this time of COVID, there are those that still care. Even though some of us may have been affected financially or health wise, that we will make that personal sacrifice to show that we are in support of the ministry of the Dream Center,” Merriweather said.
The center’s staff members say they are blown away by what the church has been able to for them in just three weeks of fundraising.
“We are just thankful that these women, who are the daughter’s kings, that they can come in and bless our ladies because we want these women to know whether they’ve been a prostitute, or if they’ve stolen things, whatever their lot in life has been, that Jesus Christ gives them a brand new chance,” said Stephanie Laffoon, Dream Center’s campaign manger.
Laffoon says these items couldn’t have come at a better time — Good Friday with Easter right around the corner — as each each item donated is essential for the needs at the Dream Center.
