The handful of flour and the jug of oil

In 1 Kings 17:7-16 an account is written about a time in Israel's history where there was a drought following 3 years without rain. Elijah, one of God's prophets, was directed to go to a widow, who would supply him with food. When he asked the widow for a piece of bread, she told him that all she has was a handful of flour and some oil. She was in the process of gathering sticks so she could make one last meal for herself and her son to eat before they died of hunger. Elijah instructed her to make something for him to eat first, then feed herself, because God had promised that the flour and the oil would not run out until God sent rain to end the drought. The widow obeyed and found that everyday there was food for her and her family.

Food ready to be distributed to hungry families

When ITNAC started our response to the vulnerable families affected by closures due to covid-19, we didn't have a big amount of donations - just $500 donated by one of our members. However, like the flour and oil, we have seen God work a miracle in replenishing our resources as we continue to give to those in need. Like the miracle that Jesus worked with the five loaves and two fishes, we have been able to use whatever little is given to meet the needs of hundreds of families over the past few weeks. As quickly as we make hampers and distribute, God moves on the hearts of persons to sow into our ministry so we have more to give as the requests continue to pour in. One of the persons who contributed was someone whose house we had helped to clean after the major floods in Trinidad in 2018 - he said we were strangers when we came to his assistance, so he wanted to pass on the blessing to others in need!

Offloading a trunk load of donations

A widowed single parent who was on her last, with rent to pay and two children to feed but no job.

A father who used to work CEPEP, supporting his daughter who is unemployed and has two children.

A single mother who had no food for her child and called us crying, desperate for help.

A single mother of four who used to sell pies by a school for a living and now only eats twice a day because her food is running out.

A single father in Tobago who used to work URP and has no other way of supporting his three children.

A mother whose alcoholic husband abandoned the family, who had not eaten anything in days.

A family who only had one pack of flour and had been making things for her family to eat from that.

A diabetic lady who has not been eating proper meals.

A man who had a stroke 3 years ago and was being supported by his mother who lives overseas but she contracted covid-19 and is now unable to work.

These are the stories of some of the people who have contacted ITNAC because they have not been able to get assistance from any other entity.

Family from the North Coast happy to receive supplies

From Wallerfield to Blanchisseuse to Diego Martin to Penal to Point Fortin to Tobago - the requests kept pouring in. God moved on the hearts of persons to assist us in meeting these needs by giving of their finances, their time to purchase and deliver hampers, and their hearts to listen to the stories of those we meet to give them hope and encouragement. This is what our founder and visionary, Avonelle Hector-Joseph, had to say on how we do what we do:

"ITNAC has always described itself as being a grass roots organization, meaning we are supported by the ‘average’ person: bank managers, grocery owners, business persons, housewives, radio personalities. Although we would love to be able to say we get $100,000 a month, because we know what we would be able to do with it, but one of the purposes of our organization is to connect the ‘average’ person with the people who are in need, allowing ourselves to be a conduit. The vision of ITNAC will be sustained by ‘average’ people who we are helping now. The children of those we are helping now will help the organization when they become professionals. The organization will be sustained because of the heart."

Two of our diligent and zealous volunteers on the road
delivering not just hampers, but help and hope

Here are some of the stories shared by our team members on their experiences:
"Tonight was different yes.....my heart been crying out since it all started but tonight was a different kind of cry.....We almost didn't find some of them [the families who requested the hampers], is either they didn't know how to use WhatsApp or no internet but we went the extra mile......I'm here still trying to process it all but God. "

"God's great hands of mercy and love was certainly seen today, He provided the overflow,  because we had 70 [hampers] for North Coast and 3 for Santa Cruz but he multiplied and provided 79 and 6 respectively... the needs are great but our God is Greater! All praise to Him 🙏🏼🙌🏼"

We are blessed to be a blessing

The outpouring of gratitude from the families we have blessed has been a great source of encouragement for us to continue the work we are doing:

"Let me hasten to expressly thank you for your good kind yeoman service. I’d be an imbecilic ingrate if I didn’t say thanks. Thank you very very much! And may the Lord, like Jabez, enlarge your territory in the name of Jesus. Amen"

"Thanks a million for what you all have done and continue to do for my family from Venezuela. Earlier this week I reached out for some assistance for my family and in no time at all I got a very quick response and they were assisted. Now I reached out asking for foodstuff for them and the most amazing thing was they did not just assist them with the foodstuff, but they also gave gifts to the children, they provided medication without me asking for medication. I really really really appreciate it. I cannot find the correct words I do not think the dictionary has sufficient words to describe my gratitude towards ITNAC. My family was truly blown away. 

It's amazing how much joy these simple toys can bring to a child in
lock down who doesn't have any other form of entertainment

ITNAC does not just see about your physical needs, but they also meet your emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs and I’m grateful to God because in the midst of the blessing, they know about Jesus and we have witnessed to them before but this has shown them even more how good God is and it is an even better opportunity for them to come to know and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour. It was really mindblowing because you hear about ITNAC all the time and that they go around the world and they assist people but I never knew the depth of the assistance"

Flowers given to one of our team members
as a token of appreciation for our assistance

As we continue to practice true religion as outlined in James 1:27, we respond to the cries for help from the most vulnerable in our society. We may not have much, but every day we see the little that we get multiplied to meet the needs that are before us daily. This is certainly the Lord's doing.

If anyone would like to make a donation to the work of Is There Not A Cause to enable us to continue being God's hands and feet to those in need, our account numbers are:

First Citizens bank #1660410

Republic bank #510009446801

Finally some good news!

From the time the first positive case of covid-19 was reported in Trinidad and Tobago, ITNAC sprung into action. Realizing the implications for the most vulnerable in our society, we knew that one of the most pressing needs would be for food items. Before we even started collecting, we mobilized our youths to clear a space at our St. James base which would serve as a food pantry. Any donations we collected would be stored here, and when the requests came in, it would be easy to distribute from this location. On March 16th we got our first contribution towards groceries - $500, by the next day we were up to $2000. These initial contributions came from our members and our regular donors who know that we are always in direct contact with those most in need.

Loading up supplies to drop off to a family of 13
from South Trinidad

As the days went by, the requests started pouring in: single parents who worked in bars and were sent home without a pay cheque; families where the sole bread winner was now unemployed and whose cupboards were now bare; persons who had not eaten anything for two days; people who got ill after taking vital medication on an empty stomach, simply because they had nothing in their house to eat. People who contacted us told us that they had reached out to other organizations for help, but they were denied because they didn't have any funding. Thankfully our organization meets needs based on faith rather than funding. As quickly as donations came in, we started distributing to meet these requests.

Offloading supplies from one of our donors

Due to the restrictions placed on mass gatherings, we could not have events like we usually do to raise funds or awareness to meet our needs, so we had to depend on our members to get the word around. Some persons gave financially, others provided cooked meals including freshly baked bread. Even members who were in self quarantine due to recent international travel mobilized resources to help meet the needs. Some donors came through the rain to drop off supplies. God saw in advance that we would need someone stationed at our base in St. James to serve as Operations Manager during this unexpected time of receiving and distributing donations, so he put persons in place to do this. Our youths have been very active doing deliveries, sometimes travelling from Trincity to Maraval to Freeport in one day. Our elderly members, over 70 years, also contributed to the store house.

Bulk items which would be parcelled out to make
hampers to distribute to families in need

One person who herself is needy felt that God spoke to her and told her to give towards ITNAC’s food drive. She said that in spite of her being in need of things, it may not be much, but she was sure that a family can benefit from it. She felt that some persons are so consumed about themselves that they don’t take a thought for others. She was convinced that it was the times when we are in need, that we should give those very things we are in need of. The team member who collected this donation was speechless – she accepted it as she did not want to stop them from receiving their blessing for their sacrificial giving.

This donation reminded me of the widow's mite - she gave
out of the little she had

Late one evening we got a request for help from someone who was self employed as a nail technician and had not been working for the past two weeks, but the request was not for herself. She noticed that in the property next door, there were 15 migrants huddled in the yard with nothing to eat. She didn't think about herself first, but about the disadvantage they had in having no source of income and no government to look to for help. Their faces lit up when our team arrived with supplies and they came outside looking a bit shocked. A short while after the team left, the lady who made the request said she smelled food cooking next door. She was very appreciative and impressed by the urgency of our response, and the migrants were very grateful for the food.

Sumptuous meal provided by one of our
boss chefs

The migrant community is one of the hardest hit by the stay at home orders. Many of them were employed in business places such as bars, clubs and restaurants, and do not qualify for any of the relief grants being offered to nationals. One father who we blessed told us, "I have a month without work and it hurts me because last week I had no way to buy diapers and the baby slept without diapers... I have to pay rent and market because at home is my mother and sister-in-law and my wife who depends on me and it hurts me not being able to give her what they need" Apart from ITNAC, a group of God's people from south Trinidad have given willingly of their resources to help provide relief for this community of people who God loves.

Grateful for this tangible demonstration of the love of God

In addition to delivering groceries and cooked food, our team members are also granted the opportunity to deliver hope. They share their testimonies with recipients, encourage them with the Word of God, and share the Good News of the gospel. We are able to use this avenue to show persons how this pandemic is an opportunity for God to refocus our attention on Him. Team members praise God for all the smiles and lighted faces He allows us to witness. In one day in spite of making over 40 deliveries, they reported, “Seeing those smiles are priceless… definitely worth it”

Delivering help and hope!

One young lady contacted us asking for help in procuring some very costly medication that she needed for her asthmatic condition. Before we were able to do so, however, she got very sick, having problems to breathe, so we rushed her to the hospital where she was nebulized. One of our team members who is a pharmacist was able to give her some sample medication that she had which was expiring at the end of next month, and this would have lasted her for 2 weeks. The team member shared the story with one of her colleagues, and the colleague said that she was on the same medication, and that she had extra that she could give to her, so now the young lady is able to get a 2 month supply! The young lady started to cry when we told her we were bringing the medication for her and she didn't have to pay anything. She said, "I am blown away 😥😢 that people still do what you guys do....  I am forever grateful."

God provides in our time of need!

This pandemic, in some ways, is an answer to prayer. Many persons have been wanting to spend more time with their families and deepen their relationship with God, but they never seemed to find the time. One of my friends shared, "I am not fearful of the future... I’m trying to have devotions and pray more during the day... to connect with God and trying to figure out what He wants to talk to me about, what I have to change within myself and have a better relationship with Him." A 91 year old prayer warrior who can no longer go out to church declares, "I am not alone - I have company: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have become greater companions. Every day I say, 'Father, you have to tell me you have to show me'" She wants to use this time at home to read the entire Bible again from beginning to end.

Look how happy my nephew is that his
Daddy is working from home!

Regionally, InterVarsity USA held a virtual large group meeting to give people a much needed experience of fellowship and God's presence. Through the event, two people made first-time decisions to follow Christ, more than 50 viewers recommitted their lives to Jesus! Several students shared that their school had no InterVarsity ministry and wanted to get connected, and nearly 570 responded to a call to consecrate themselves and pray for revival.

Speaker at the virtual large group meeting

Internationally, an atheist doctor in Italy who interacted with a pastor who was infected by covid 19 shared how he came to realize his worthlessness on this earth, and how he wanted to use his last breath to help others. He shared how he returned to God while being surrounded by the suffering and death of his fellow men. In Spain a church planter has set up a speaker in his attic and shares a message of hope to the 100+ residents in neighbouring apartment buildings every evening. People who had no inclination towards God before are now open to hearing messages about His love: revival has begun!

Proclaiming the Good News from rooftops in Spain

May we make the most of every opportunity provided by this pandemic to expand the kingdom of heaven as we live out our faith as defined by James 2:14-17:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

P.S. If anyone would like to make a donation to the work of Is There Not A Cause to enable us to continue being God's hands and feet to those in need, our account numbers are:
First Citizens bank #1660410
Republic bank #510009446801