Faith in the food pantry: ABHMS’ partnership with a Haitian church in Brooklyn
VALLEY FORGE, PA (03/30/2026)—The Trump administration terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti on September 2, 2025, destabilizing the lives of 348,000 Haitians living and working in the United States. Haitians with TPS could lead relatively stable lives and work legally. Now they are facing unemployment or have to undertake exploitative labor, limiting their ability to pay rent and buy food for their families.
“We are witnessing increasing levels of food insecurity, homelessness, and emotional distress among our neighbors,” said pastor Duvales Cineus, leader of Eglise Baptiste de Communion Fraternelle in Brooklyn, NY. “Many of them lack access to food and feel isolated and uncertain about their future.”
When Eglise Baptiste and other local churches launched a food pantry program in 2021, it opened once a week. Today, it is available three times a week, serving many more people. It also provides food to local shelters where many families now live.
A line forms outside Eglise Baptiste in Brooklyn, New York, where a food pantry provides for an insecure, underserved local community.
Operated by trained volunteers and young adults from the local churches, this program provides essential nourishment and community connection. It also offers spiritual encouragement that gives hope to the marginalized. It is now supported by ABHMS, who is delighted to invest in this important partnership.
As both a spiritual and social justice initiative, the food pantry helps develop leadership and discipleship among the faithful involved in this work. As such, it closely aligns with ABHMS’ mission to heal and transform communities. While the churches are committed to keeping up the program, the need is constantly growing, as more people are affected by the new immigration laws.
Join us in supporting this food pantry in Brooklyn and other similar programs across the United States and Puerto Rico by giving here.
By Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, ABHMS senior writer and associate editor of The Christian Citizen
