By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer 

HELENA – Gospel Light Baptist Academy in Helena has partnered with Feed the Need in an effort to raise awareness, funds and community involvement toward both raising funds for their school and supporting an international cause.

Following a kickoff event on Thursday, Sept. 28, GLBA began their fundraising event, which intends to bridge their current tuition gap and develop the organization’s long-term financial sustainability, with a goal of reaching $35,000 for their school. This fundraiser also calls for the organization and sending of international food aid with parts of the funds raised in their efforts.

“GLBA families have been raising funds to support their school and will be packing 10,000 meals to send to the largest refugee camp and other orphanages in Bangladesh,” said Steve Kilpatrick, GLBA principal.

As part of the fundraiser, students, staff and volunteers will pack these meals and have them sent to the Rohingya Refugee Camp. This camp, which encompasses 600 acres, houses an estimated 1.2 million displaced refugees from Myanmar, a nation that borders Bangladesh.

Due to the complex political situation, these refugees are forced to remain at the Rohingya Refugee Camp and are not currently welcomed by either Bangladesh or Myanmar. It is a situation that has left its inhabitants in a precarious, unfunded and unstable position that some call a humanitarian crisis.

“These meals are used to connect with the refugees, spread the good news of the Gospel and show Christ’s love through ministry partners on the ground,” Kilpatrick said.

GLBA will host their packing party, where these 10,000 meals will be officially packed and readied for transport, on Nov. 3. The all-day event will take place in GLBA’s Fellowship Hall and is set to begin at 8 a.m.

Currently, the academy has successfully raised over $19,000 and is sitting just above 50 percent of their total fundraising goal.

The following organizations have sponsored the efforts of GLBA’s Feed the Need program:

• Bice Auto Repair
• Bowen Construction Services
• Davis Architects
• Helena Pure Chiropractic
• Monarch Realty
• Planeworks
• The Prickly Pear
• Tire Doctor Inc.
• Trowel Arts Construction
• Westwood Baptist Church