New Palestine Baptist Church in Picayune successfully raised enough money to purchase an industrial mixer for an orphanage in Haiti.

During a meeting held last month by the Rotary Club of Picayune, Rotarian and church member Jeremy Sheasby spoke about his trip to Les Cayes, Haiti.

According to previous coverage, New Palestine Baptist Church partnered with Haiti based church Mount Brillé six years ago, and since then church members have been providing assistance with several projects that helps church and its community grow.

During the trip, Sheasby also visited the Good Shepherd Orphanage and learned that the orphanage was trying to replace an industrial mixer that had broken so it could continue to provide bread to the children.

The orphanage provides a home to 35 children and offers a daily feeding program to about 150 orphans without a home, previous coverage states.

Sheasby said, the church was able to raise about $2,500, which was sent to the orphanage to purchase the mixer.

Donations were received from children participating in the church’s Vacation Bible School and contributions from community members, he said.

The funds were raised within a week after word about the effort got out, he said.

Sheasby said orphanage personnel were excited to receive the donation and will now be able to provide bread to children in the Good Shepard orphanage and a special needs orphanage in the same community.

He said, about 209 children enrolled in the local Vacation Bible School brought contributions from home to help in the effort. Those contributions were made as part of a competition between the boys and girls to see who could donate the most, he said.

Church members will continue to find opportunities to assist the orphanage, Sheasby said.