Iglesia del Nazareno Servidores de Dios, in Madriz, Nicaragua, is actively serving people with needs brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each week, they share food and personal hygiene items with low-income families that have been impacted by the pandemic in a variety of ways.

The church receives food from the Food Bank of Nicaragua in addition to hygiene items such as shaving cream, shampoo, soap, and deodorant. The items are then organized in packets by a group of church members coordinated by Marta Moreno, president of the church's compassionate ministries and wife of the church's pastor, Evelio Díaz. Each week, the team distributes packets to families in need.

One hundred and fifty families have benefited, all of whom have scarce economic resources. Among them are members of the local church and nearby churches, people from the surrounding community, and the homeless. Of the 150 families benefited, 50 are permanently receiving the supply package each month.

“I thank God for having people who practice the love of the Lord through compassion, since in the world and in our country, due to the pandemic, many families have been unemployed,” said Blanca Pérez, a church member who received assistance. “I am a member of the Servidores de Dios church in the city of Somoto and a resident of one of the poorest sectors, and I have benefited from this beautiful project. We are a family of four and we are very grateful to God and to the church that makes it possible to have food on our table.”

Díaz believes his church’s emphasis on compassion has driven the congregation to reach out to those in need around them.

"Compassion is a feeling that leads you to get involved, commits you from within your heart to get closer and act in the midst of reality," Díaz said.

--Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region