The &uot;Brothers Against Drugs&uot; is an organization on the move and constantly striving to walk in a way that would make Jesus proud. Recently, the Brothers put on a special party for more than 100 homeless people from the streets of Suffolk.

Ron Vinson, the founder of BAD., said people came to New Mount Joy Worship Center to enjoy a sumptuous turkey and ham dinner on Christmas Eve.

&uot;We gathered in the Fellowship Hall at the church, and everyone had a wonderful hot meal and we so greatly enjoyed the true spirit of Christmas the way the Lord meant it to be,&uot; said Brother Ron, as he is called. &uot;We publicized the event through the News-Herald, and we let the Homeless Shelter, the Salvation Army and the other churches know that we were preparing the Christmas meal. God knows I was so touched by the vast number of people who came to us. We even went out and picked up some people.&uot;

Feeding 100 people a meal the size of a Christmas dinner is a monumental task, but there was plenty of help to prepare and serve the foods.

&uot;Deacon Robert Williams, myself and my brother and Deacon Williams’ wife, Mary, helped prepare the meal,&uot; said Vinson. &uot;We had members of the church helping to serve along with the &uot;Mother of our Drug Ministry,&uot; Carrie Scott, and some of our clients who are in our recovery program.&uot;

The food for the meal came New Mount Joy’s Food Bank. The church’s Foreign Mission provided $150 to purchase hams and turkeys.

BAD. is also supported by the Rev. Sylvester Silver and the Gates of Heaven Church of God in Christ and their &uot;Forever Free Drug Ministry,&uot; headed by Brenda Kindred. She is vice president of BAD, and also a recovered addict who fully understands the terrors and pain of addiction.

New Mount Joy and Pastor Wiggins founded their &uot;On the Road to Recovery Drug and Alcohol Outreach Ministry&uot; in May 1997.

Vinson came to them with the idea of founding a homeless shelter for men recovering from drugs and alcohol addiction. Thus, BAD was formed with Vinson serving as the organization’s president. Vinson and his wife, Linda, are working toward obtaining a 501.C status for the organization in order to write for a grant to fund the homeless shelter for men.

&uot;We are grateful for all the help from so many people who support this effort,&uot; he said. &uot;Suffolk has no shelter for men and they sleep in abandoned vehicles, doorways and just anywhere they can lay their head. They need meals, baths, and they need to get off drugs and alcohol. To accomplish that, we must meet their needs with a shelter.&uot;

BAD is in the process of finding funding and many people are helping including &uot;The Sons of the Confederacy,&uot; from Richmond.

Vinson noted that this remarkable show of love for others came after he and his wife appeared before Suffolk City Council.

&uot;They had representatives at the council meeting that night,&uot; he said. &uot;They said they wanted to help us get the shelter after speaking with my wife. A young lady who spoke with her was so helpful in telling my wife how to go about seeking funding. This is remarkable. They not only helped us but also gave a check to Greater Love Outreach Ministry and Pastor Royster. That is truly the power of God working among His people. He has his hand upon our organization and God will see us roll on to victory in to establishing a shelter.&uot;