The group of the Guarujá Light-Network and the group of the Santos Light-Network, with the support of the “godparents,” donated 90 baskets of basic needs, with 16 items in each, to 90 families of the Morrinhos IV community, in the city of Guarujá, in the coastal area of São Paulo.
Rossi Freitas, coordinator of the São Paulo Light-Network and member of the Guarujá Light-Network, emphasizes that all care was taken to be in accordance with the guidance of the health authorities in relation to the Coronavirus when delivering the baskets.
With the announcement of the pandemic and the requests of the authorities to avoid gatherings, the Light-Network group temporarily suspended the deliveries of the baskets, which occurred weekly; however, the group perceived that “the families were becoming even more vulnerable and having difficulty meeting their basic needs, because 99.9% of them earn their livelihood, for example, from street trading on the beaches or through other informal activities. So, since the stores with food and primary need items were authorized to stay open, we chose to try to bring relief to the suffering of people through purchasing the baskets of the basics,” explains Rosi.
The families with cell phones were notified that the baskets would be delivered to each family individually, and those people let others know. “Normally, we get together on the road, we form a circle, we talk, pray and thank God,” remembers Rosi.
The emotions and gratitude were expressed in the smiles, in the tender words and tears of people that went to receive the baskets. The text messages that came through the cell phones of the members of the group verified the gratitude: “God bless, this will help a lot. The basket arrived exactly in time,” wrote Michele Carvalho, mother of Monique. Another message of gratitude: “May God greatly bless your life. Thank you for never forgetting about us,” sent Priscila Nunes, mother of Heloísa.
“Besides the baskets, we were able to offer apples, greens, and vegetables for each family, and as was expected, many unregistered people living in the community came to ask for help, because they were already without any source of income and consequently, were not ‘taking the bread home’,” grieves Rosi Freitas.
Andrea Ferreira, member of the Santos Light-Network, points out that “the world is in need of fraternity, and at this time it has become urgent. We are very grateful for everybody that helped us and we are grateful to God for all that we are given.”
