COCONUT CREEK, Fla. –The Thanksgiving holiday is one week away and for nearly a decade, Food For The Poor has presented fellow servant Pastor Norman “D.C.” Perkins with a check to buy 500 turkeys to feed the less fortunate in West Palm Beach.
Last year, Pastor Norman “D.C.” Perkins, from Liberty Movement Ministries of West Palm Beach, accepted a check from Food For The Poor to purchase more than 500 turkeys to help feed families during the Thanksgiving holiday.In this photo, he attends a FFTP prayer service. This year, the charity has donated $10,000 to honor Pastor Perkins’memory to Liberty Movement Ministries to feed the homeless and families in need in Palm Beach County for Thanksgiving. (Photo/Food For The Poor)But the coronavirushas hit close to home, and Pastor Perkins– or D.C. as he was known to FFTP and his many friends–lost his battle with COVID-19 in July.
Perkins’ Liberty Movement Ministry has been feeding the homeless, the elderly and struggling families in West Palm Beach and neighboring communities in Palm Beach County for more than a decade, not only at Thanksgiving, but all year long. Before he died,Perkinswas helping hundreds of people whose lives had been disrupted by the coronavirus.
“This charity has been committed to helping D.C.’s Liberty Movement Ministryfor several yearsand we decided to continue the Thanksgiving tradition in his honor with a $10,000 donation,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said. “It warms our hearts to know that this donation will be used to feed thousands of families in Palm Beach County.We serve internationally, but we are committed to providing local assistance when possible, especially during these unprecedented times.”
The Norman “D.C.” Perkins 2020 Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Give-a-Waywill be Monday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m., at the Liberty Movement Food Pantry, 1301 53rd St. #5-6, West Palm Beach, Fla., 33407. Due to social distancing, recipients are asked to drive up and remain inside their vehicles to receive their turkey.
In this 2013 photo, Essie “Big Mama” Reed joyfully thanks Food For The Poor for a donation, which was used to purchase turkeys for her outreach. This year, the charity has donated $10,000 to her Team of Life Ministry to help feed families in need in Broward County for Thanksgiving. (Photo/Food For The Poor
Essie “Big Mama” Reed and her Team of Life Ministry also are receiving a gift again this year. Big Mama has been serving families in South Florida for several decades, but she’s most known for her generosity during the holiday season and her turkey give-a-ways for Thanksgiving. Food For The Poor also has donated $10,000 to Big Mama to help her feed families in Broward County.
“No matter what we’re going through in life, God is always on our side and will always take care of our needs,” Big Mama said. “I am very thankful to Food For The Poor because they really do care about the poor. They are helping during the pandemic and with thehurricanes in Central America, and with all of that they remembered us. Food For The Poor is a true blessing.”
Team of Life Ministry will begin distributing turkeys and trimmings on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 5 p.m., at 2136 NW Eighth St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33311. Recipients are asked to driveup and remain inside their vehicles to receive their Thanksgiving gift box.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for orphaned and abandoned children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
