B U F F A L O N E W S
The Rev. Eric Johns is clearly in his element when he’s feeding and tending to the needs of those who might otherwise go without.
Monday, the dynamic preacher, whom some call the pastor to the homeless, presided over a Christmas Eve dinner in the Buffalo Dream Center, 512 Pearl St., that attracted nearly 300 people, including the homeless, as well as many struggling single mothers and their children.
“They’re from the East Side [and] the West Side. There are even grandmothers here with their grandchildren,” Johns said, practically shouting above the din.
“It’s not just for the homeless, but anyone who is in need of a Christmas meal,” he added.
Not only were they treated to a meal of turkey with all the trimmings, but every few minutes leading up to supper, Johns took to the stage of the Buffalo Dream Center to announce another grocery gift bag winner in successive drawings that were held over the course the program.
And the Buffalo Dream Team, nine teenage and preteen members of Johns ministry, provided virtual feast for the eyes and ears with a dance and musical performance composed of contemporary gospel and hip-hop elements.
“We’re ministering through dance,” Dominique Davis, 17, explained after one of the group’s performances Monday.
Dominique, a Lafayette High School senior, has been a member of the Buffalo Dream Center ministry since he was 8 years old. He not only performed at Monday’s program, but he and the other youth in the ministry helped wrap the gift boxes, bag the gift groceries and serve the meals. “I love it,” Dominique said.
And so did Terry Vail, an adult volunteer.
“I have as much fun here as I do with my own family,” Vail said.
Those sentiments were just as important as the concrete offerings to Tonya, who asked that her last name be withheld.
A resident of Cornerstone Manor on North Street, Tonya said she cooked her own holiday meal last Christmas. Hit by a series of misfortunes this year, Tonya said she was grateful to have dinner provided for her and two of her children, an 8-year-old boy and 11- year-old girl who accompanied her. Her 15-year-old daughter declined to join them because she was embarrassed, Tonya said.
Tonya said she is hoping the two-year transitional program she’s in at Cornerstone Manor will lead to the opportunity for academic advancement and ultimately a job that will help her to better care for her children.
Timothy Brandt, owner of The Rock Contracting in the Town of Tonawanda, has for over a decade been a volunteer with Hearts for the Homeless, a faith-based volunteer agency that often collaborates with the Buffalo Dream Center.
“When I go home from this, there’s a feeling of pure joy that doesn’t even come with regular gift-giving we do during this season. When you’re able to meet people’s needs, the basic needs of their lives, you can’t put a price on that,” Brandt said.