Kids In The Congo Dinner – hosted by St. Paul’s of Palmer

A Fund raising Pasta Dinner for The Kids in the Congo to be held on March 2nd.

A Pasta and Meatball dinner to benefit the Kids in the Congo non-profit organization will be held in Palmer on Saturday, March 2nd. Kids in the Congo is a local group that works in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build and furnish classrooms for Congolese children. It is also engaged in farm animal and well building projects. The Pasta & Meatball dinner is hosted by St. Paul’s church of Palmer.

Kids In The Congo: www.KidsInTheCongo.org based in Fiskdale, Massachusetts, is a 501 (c) Non-Profit Organization which provides educational support to children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In addition they have provided school sponsorships, uniforms, backpacks and school supplies. They also raise money to build classrooms, purchase school furnishings and establish libraries. Another current project is the ‘Farm Animal Project’. A future project will entail well creation for two nearby villages. Lynne Brouilette of Fiskdale, the organization’s president, has taken various trips to the Congo. Board members and other volunteers are located in Western and Central Massachusetts. Kids in the Congo is partnered with the Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists) a religious order with priests and brothers working in parishes throughout Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a population of 112 million people, is one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world. In a report by the Global Conflict tracker, “the DRC is home to nearly 7 million people who have been internally displaced due to the threat of violence and atrocities, extreme poverty, and mining expansion. The displaced population urgently needs security support, medical aid, and other humanitarian aid.” Since 1996, conflict in eastern DRC has led to approximately six million deaths.

Fr. Salvator Musande, who is one of the cofounders of Kids in the Congo had this to say about the importance of education in Congo, “the education of Congo's young people is the key to lifting Congo out of poverty. Education opens doors for the student, his/her family, their village and eventually the broader community. It brings hope where otherwise there is only a bleak existence.”

According to Rev. Steven Sousa, minister of the dinner’s host St. Paul’s Church, “the overarching purpose of the dinner is to benefit an important local non-profit organization that is helping children in one of the most impoverished and dangerous areas of the world. We can make a small yet significant impact in people’s lives, who may live a continent away, yet are an intimate part of our human family.”

Tickets for the Kids In the Congo dinner are only available in advance by calling 413 283-8185, or on the www.StPaulsPalmer.org ‘Events’ page.

About St. Paul's Church of Palmer: Since 1937, St. Paul’s has faithfully served the greater Palmer community through various outreach and spiritual avenues. At its heart is the message of grace, acceptance, and love.