Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 11-16-18

Feature
Ministry To Host 33rd Annual Thanksgiving Event
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Sunday, November 18th, members of the com- munity will assemble for a pre-Thanksgiving Dinner. It will take place at the Planteen Recreation Center, 403 Dort Street, Plant City, FL 33563. It will begin at 2 p.m.
The dinner is being spon- sored for the 33rd consecu- tive year by Pastor Moses Brown and Feed Our Chil- dren Ministries, Inc. The event will provide free turkeys, gifts, and entertain- ment for the entire family.
Entertainment will be provided by Alkoya Brun- son. Brunson is known for the roles he played in “Hid- den Figures,” “Almost Christmas,” “Me Myself & I,” and other films.
PASTOR MOSES BROWN Founder of Feed Our Children Ministries, Inc.
A native of Lakeland,
Brunson will celebrate his
16th birthday on November 22nd.
This year, Pastor Brown worked with the Hillsborough County School District and registered 200 migrant families to attend
ALKOYA BRUNSON To provide entertainment
the event. An additional 350 homeless mothers with chil- dren have also been selected as recipients of the gift.
“I see those mothers sleeping in their cars. These people are doing their best, but getting someplace to live is very expense. They are doing their best, but it seems
the system is against them. “They don’t want to lose their children to the system because they don’t have a home. Nelson Mandella said, ‘We should not forget those who have been forgot-
ten,’” Pastor Brown said. He continued, “I thank God for giving me this op- portunity. We have been able to do this for 33 years and have never had to turn anyone away. By faith, I go around asking, begging, and pleading to make this possi- ble. But, it wouldn’t have been a success without the volunteers who give their time all year and those who
make donations.”
The Beginning
The celebration this year will be held across the street from where Pastor Brown was born 60 years ago. The coincidence brings back memories for him.
After giving birth to a son, a 14-year-old victim of a sexual battery left him at the hospital. Her parents were both deceased and her older sisters were too poor to care for the infant. She was given an ultimatum and she de- cided to leave the infant.
When an older Plant City couple Leroy and Annette
Brown, learned about the infant, they adopted the in- fant. They were both in their 50s, and Mrs. Brown had the distinction of being the first African American to be- come a foster parent in Hillsborough County.
Pastor Brown said Mrs. Brown named him Moses because she had got- ten him from the bulrushes. The couple had nurtured hundreds of children, adopt- ing some, but he was their first infant.
Pastor Brown said he began acting out when he learned of his adoption. “I didn’t know who I was.”
He acted out for a few years while going through the process of maturing. He also met his birth mother as a teenager and learned about his birth.
Several years passed be- fore Pastor Brown asked his adopted mother what could he do to make up for his rebellious years. “She said, ‘you can give back. You can give to others, every- thing that I have given to you.”
It was during that time that Pastor Brown said God began using him. “If God can use a mess like me, He can use anybody.”
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018