Pastor Richard Vernon and his wife, Candacia, have a passion for helping meet the physical and spiritual needs of people in their community.  Pastor Richard is the Deeside Campus pastor of The Rescue Church, a multi-site church based in Flandreau, South Dakota.

 

Pastor Richard and Candacia saw people with real needs, not only in their campus, but also in their entire community. The passion to meet these needs is where the idea of The Care House began.

 

In March of 2015, they decided to start meeting one of the phycial needs - hunger.  Through various donations, they were able to start a small feeding program. The ministry started out with $150. With the $150 they were able to purchase necessary items to start off the program.

 

The food pantry, now known as The Care House, opens its doors on the second and fourth Sundays each month after church. They currently serve out of The Rescue Church, Deeside Campus.  Each family that comes through the door receives flour, rice, sardines, tin mackerel, milk creamer, lasco, and corned beef. Since March, the number of families being fed each month has continued to grow. 

The people currently receiving food are those living below the poverty line in Deeside, Jamaica.  These people live on a weekly income of $20-$50 with a household of 5-7 members.  Most of these families are single parents and are doing work such as laundry for other people or working as vendors.

 

After a lot of discussion, vision casting, and planning, the ministry was officially named The Care House in May of 2015.  Feeding people is a great start, but the desire to provide clothing, counseling, and education is also a goal.

 

One thing that Pastor Richard always says is that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care, and that is what The Care House is all about. The hope of The Care House is that people will see God's love and provision clearly in their own lives, and begin to seek a relationship with Him.