INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Everyone deserves a great Christmas and people in Gifford will be having just that this Saturday, Dec. 10. Ma Jaya, founder of The River Fund’s “Feed Everyone” program, and volunteers will be bringing gifts, food and love to 500 people in need when they visit the Kingdom Church of Jesus in Gifford.
Through donations from many sources, volunteers are able to provide a full-course chicken dinner, macaroni and cheese, string beans, bread and dessert, as well as 500 gift bags for men, women, boys, girls and toddlers. Volunteers will be giving fresh vegetables, cookies, jewelry, children’s books, sundries, boxed holiday candy and clothes to all who attend. Festivities will be held from Noon to l p.m. at the Kingdom Church of Gifford, 46ll 33rd Avenue.
The Feed Everyone Program visits the church twice monthly throughout the year bringing food, clothes and other donations to one of the area’s most underserved communities. But everyone looks forward to Christmas in Gifford with Ma’s visit and it has become a well-attended, annual tradition.
“By having Christmas earlier this year, people may have the opportunity to give or exchange gifts with other people,” says Ananda Devi program director of the Feed Everyone Program. “We want to make sure everyone has gifts to give their family.”
Ma Jaya, founder of Kashi and By the River, has been serving people in need for more than 35 years and is known for teaching about the joy of serving others. Her spiritual and service centers in Sebastian, New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles together serve approximately 300,000 people each year around the world.
Volunteers from By the River will also be on hand to help give out presents and share the joys of Christmas. By the River, the area’s new affordable independent living community for low-income seniors, partners with many of Feed Everyone’s charitable community outreach programs.
For more information, please contact Ananda Devi at 772-532-0286.