Poverty and hunger seem to go hand in hand, and twice weekly Jim & Sue Coates heed the call to do what the LORD commands, through their feeding program in villa Ascension, the 6th village built by The Samaritan Foundation. 
On Wednesday and Friday mornings the center is a busy place where 150-200 children and elderly are fed a nutritious hot meal. Jim & Sue cannot do this by themselves and have an excellent support staff of locals to help them.Claribelle prepares and cooks 25 pounds of rice, beans in sauce and one of a variety of meat stews twice a week. Before dishing up the food she spends time with the children telling a Bible story and then prays for a blessing on the meal.
Claribelle has tested seven different menu options which have been enjoyed by both the children and the elderly. In every bowl of her homemade chicken soup there is an entire drumstick or piece of chicken and one of the children’s favorite meals is spaghetti with salami. 
Woody and Marco distribute the food bags (separate food program) that are assembled for some sponsored families who need a little extra food and then do crowd control duties to ensure the younger children are admitted first to eat. Everyone is hungry and would like to eat a meal, but no matter how much extra food Claribelle cooks, there never seems to be enough to feed everyone waiting.
Three 11-13 year old girls, Adahisa, Lehman, & Leonie fill the jugs and pour a cup of water for each recipient while checking to make sure their younger siblings are fed also. Their joyful smiles and willingness to help even doing the dishes or cleaning the stove are a real blessing
Papo also helps keep order in the house when he is not scrubbing the pots.
I (Jane) am the newest recruit to their team to lend a helping hand where needed….. usually organizing the groups that come to serve or being elbows up in suds on cleanup duty, and in October will be taking charge when Jim & Sue go home to the U.K. for a short break. The many years experience I spent volunteering for the Women’s Guild of H.D.C.H. preparing and serving meals to large groups of people is certainly paying off. At the end of a hectic day, the kitchen and serving area are spotless and ready to go for the next time. 
Thank you to all the volunteers and especially Jim & Sue Coates who give their time and love in Jesus’ name to make this feeding program a roaring success. It is a blessing to be a servant in the Lord's name. Praise God that He will continue to bless this program, an excellent example of the community in villa Ascension working together to help each other once again.
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