In one sense it’s hard to believe we’re one year on from lockdown, but in other ways it’s felt longer because of the journey we’ve all had to take. Through it all, God has moved in incredible ways and we can choose to celebrate all that he’s done over the past year. We loved hearing this story from Carrickfergus Vineyard about their incredible Compassion initiative through lockdown. Read on to find out more!
In March 2021, Carrickfergus Vineyard celebrated the distribution of 10,000 cooked meals (now known as Doorstep Dinners!) to people in need since the pandemic began. To mark this occasion, representatives from the Doorstep Dinners team were joined by the Mayor of Mid & East Antrim, Peter Johnston, and John Stewart, MLA who have been a great support all along with their Compassion initiatives.
We chatted to Chantel Daniels, Senior Pastor, who shared, “The project started from humble beginnings in Tommy & Diane’s kitchen, as they wanted to help those in need when the pandemic first started. It has now grown a team of cooks, drivers, befrienders, administrators, along with staff and volunteers from Carrickfergus Vineyard Church, friends, family, neighbours & other churches who have all helped and been part of this story. And now thanks to Carrickfergus YMCA we have a bigger kitchen to cook in! We have loved partnering with Carrickfergus Foodbank and other local businesses such as Spar NI and are so grateful for other generous donations. We even got to use some produce from our own church allotment!
Doorstep Dinners is kindness and compassion in action. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has played their part and we know this story will keep developing to meet needs in the community as things change coming out of lockdown.”
One of the Doorstep Dinner’s team members, John Stewart, shared, “it’s been an absolute pleasure to join the team as they marked the 10,000th Doorstep Dinner cooked and delivered to those in need across our community. Over the past weeks I have had the privilege of doing some of the deliveries. It has been so moving just to see the appreciation and delight on the faces of the elderly and vulnerable recipients.”
If you have a story of generosity and compassion from over the past year, we’d love to hear it! Email us: [email protected]
