Hieromonk Marcos (Cantillano-Calderon; abbot of Monasterio de San Antonio el Grande in Comarca Río Negro, Nicaragua) recently distributed food packages to the local community. This benevolent missionary outreach was made possible thanks to a generous donor from the United States.

"If I went to visit an older adult in the community, I would bring a package with rice, sugar, coffee, spaghetti, and toilet paper," says Fr. Marcos. "I visited a school near the church for very poor children; I brought them sweets and I had a little discussion about the Orthodox Faith and the importance of personal and collective hygiene, as well as depositing garbage in authorized containers.

"It is important to emphasize the importance of the house-to-house visit with the elderly," Fr. Marcos continues. "Since they have many needs and, above all, to have someone who listens to them. This is not the first visit that I have made, nor is it the last. My conscience tells me that I have great job with these people."

The parish and local community expressed their sincere thanks to their benefactor, as well as to all donors who make such outreach possible.