Jacksonville church stands in for a city striving to overcome poverty

Jacksonville, Arkansas – Offering something that the majority of people in a community need is the best method to change that community.

For the city of Cotton Plant, 70 different boxes were filled with various canned products and other foods necessary for a healthy supper.

Berlinda Helms, the senior pastor of Emmanuel Covenant Community Church, is proud to have made the donation.

“You only need a few committed individuals to make an impact; you don’t need a large group,” Helms stated.

In this instance, the Jacksonville community, Walmart, Tyson, and Mattel all pitched in to make this food giveaway feasible.

Helms claimed that she started her quest to change things after learning that the Cotton Plant has one of the worst percentages of child poverty.

“We are a generational church, and when you make a difference in a child’s life, it affects generations,” Helms stated.

According to her, they are in their second year at Cotton Plant, and she is giving the town’s residents hope despite the depressing problem of poverty that plagues the community.

Helms stated, “I had four siblings and was raised by a single mother on welfare.” I would like to encourage everyone to know that we succeeded and that you will succeed as well.

The objective is to donate more than they were able to this year, and she adds she is excited to return the next year.