PATRINE Williams, founder of God’s Soup Kitchen — a non-profit community outreach programme in West Kingston — was surprised when she was recently selected by judges in the CranWATA Reveal Your Hero Facebook Competition. She was nominated by Tracey-Ann Wheatley, a member of one of the several communities that have benefited from the project.

“I nominated her because she does some real good deeds in the community, she is a pastor and she looks out for young people and motivate young people,” Wheatley told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview. “I always wanted to go back to school, but didn’t get the chance to and she called me one day and told me to try to attend HEART Trust/NTA.

“I went out there and got through but couldn’t pay the school fee and she encouraged me and told me that every woman should be a woman of power,” Wheatley continued. “She paid it for me and I completed HEART.”

Wheatley, who is from Orange Street in Kingston, told the Observer that Williams is always willing to help.

“Sometimes she don’t even have it, but… if you come to her and yuh have a situation, she help you in any way she can. She go out and feed the needy and look after the kids, nuff little things she do.

“She is just a people-person and a person who is genuine,” insisted Wheatley. “She is a woman of her word.”

Williams, who along with her husband is the pastor at the Temple of Faith Healing and Deliverance Ministry on Beechwood Avenue in Kingston, said her decision to start God’s Soup Kitchen Outreach Project was a mandate from the Lord.

“First of all, give God thanks, everything is through God, because without God, what we are doing would not be possible. Secondly, everything normally used to come from my pocket… because I work, I am an administrator by profession.

“Besides that, there are people involved in the project who give contributions when they can, whether it’s a bag of rice, whether it’s a pound of chicken, whether it’s onion,” Williams said, adding that more recently a few corporate entities have offered some assistance.

“I have to say when God gives the vision, he makes the provision and sometimes the provision is not there yet, but I believe that in everything that we do, once God gives you that vision, the provision will come eventually,” Williams declared. “Sometimes it doesn’t come as you are expecting, but you have to continue being obedient in the Lord. Sometimes obedience takes sacrifice, sometimes it takes selflessness… but at the end of the day, you see the lives that are impacted.”

God’s Soup Kitchen Outreach Project started in 2009, but the groundwork started much earlier, Williams told the Observer. The project has a small team of volunteers who work to empower residents in inner-city communities. Located at 173 Orange Street in downtown Kingston, God’s Soup Kitchen provides food and care for the homeless and shut-ins and is also a homework and after-school care centre for children who reside in areas such as Arnett Gardens, Denham Town, Jones Town, Craig Town, Slipe Pen Road, Paisley Road and surrounding communities.

As many as 25 children gather at the location on Wednesday evenings to get homework help, learn computer skills, play games, and fellowship with their peers.

As the winner of the CranWATA Reveal Your Hero Facebook Competition, Wisynco presented a cash award of $25,000 to Williams and her team, and have also made the long-term commitment to provide beverages each month for children attending the after-school programme. Williams told the Observer that the project is not registered and Wisynco is also helping them to get to that status.

“Every year, as a country, we recogise our national heroes who have played a significant role in the history of Jamaica. This year at Wisynco we thought it important to encourage Jamaicans to also honour the unsung heroes that are with us today. Those heroes who work in our communities without recognition, and who, despite having limited resources themselves, are making the sacrifices to make life better for their fellow citizens,” said Janine Josephs, brand marketing manager at Wisynco. “We put out the call on our Facebook page and received many nominations. The panel that selected Patrine as the Judges’ Pick was unanimous in its decision that the work being done by Patrine Williams and her team at God’s Soup Kitchen was most deserving of our support. We were amazed by how much she has been able to do for so many despite limited resources.”

Williams told the Observer that she was elated when selected because it meant the project was getting needed assistance.

“I was surprised because what I do I don’t do it for recognition, but because of passion… People just need opportunities and once given opportunities and they see people who are genuine and who really care, this will help to propel them to achieve their goals,” Williams shared.

Williams said the assistance may seem small to some, but, “it means a lot, knowing that we are coming from somewhere that we didn’t have it.”