Spiritus Relief Stories: Saturating Good

The Brook Church, led by Pastor Muche Ukegbu, is located in one the most socio-economically diverse neighborhoods in Miami. The coronavirus pandemic has only exasperated the economic disparity, which has had a tremendous effect particularly on kids in school and families. Thanks to a grant from The Spiritus Relief Fund, The Brook Church is launching the Saturate Good project to provide immediate and extended care to those in their neighborhood experiencing the greatest need in this season.

The Saturate Good Project:

The mission of God is the salvation of all people and the renewal of all things. At the very center of this mission is the people of God, the church. What history and the scriptures teach us is that it is often in moments of crisis that the mission accelerates forward, & the people of God are mobilized in mass.

Our Current Situation:

The Little Haiti/Little River Corridor is a socio-economically diverse community beaming with life. It’s a community with rich roots as well as new history as it is currently experiencing the beautiful and broken dynamics of globalization and gentrification. Consequently, while there’s socio-economic diversity, there’s also tremendous economic disparity. Case in point, the school directly across the street from our building location is an elementary school with approx. 500 students with 45-50 % being on free or reduced lunch. Additionally, 85% of the students walk to school, which means a vast majority of people in a mile radius walk from our building are experiencing various disagrees of economic disadvantage. The COVID-19 Pandemic reaches us all and affects the most vulnerable in our society differently. An example is that for many of the students in the community, attending school provides guaranteed daily meals. Additionally, by virtue of a majority of their families job circumstances, paid leave and things of the sort are readily accessible. Furthermore, the access to items in times of need becomes greatly reduced. In short, the effect of the coronavirus is going to have significant effects that are both immediate and extended.

Our Intentional Response

Immediate Care:

We’ve been asked to help partner with the school to help with the distribution of grab and go meals in the initial week that school is canceled. While we are eager to do this, we also know that we can do more and be more proactive to serve the community with some many variables in their lives being unknown. We want to reduce the unknown by providing the following and we ask for your partnership in the following ways.

• Food Provision- Providing 1 pre-packaged meal per day for 250 students. The duration of the provision would be Monday-Friday. March 23-27 & March 30-April 3 to be evaluated as the situation continues to unfold.
• Care Kits- Providing 1 pre-packaged care kit. The Care kit contains miscellaneous toiletries that would alleviate purchase of them at this time, and a gift card to assist with meals.

Extended Care:

While we don’t know how long the intense measures we’re facing will be in place, we know the aftermath of the crisis is going to continue in the coming months and the intermediate future. Given our unique positioning in this community by having a permanent facility and considering our ability to mobilize for good we ask for your partnership in the following ways.

• Creation of a short-term food pantry for the families in need in the Little Haiti/Little River Community
• Creation of a short-term resource space that houses & distributes sterilization & cleaning supplies for the families in need in the Little Haiti/Little River Community
• Provide food & appreciation for the volunteer, support staff, and first responders serving others in this critical moment.