​Knox Kincardine hosting annual breakfast to help people in Malawi, Africa

After hearing Dave and Miriam Barrie give a presentation about Malawi at the Knox Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, Bruce McKechnie decided to stage a breakfast, raising funds to help the people of that poor African country.

More than 25 years later, Bruce and his wife, Pat, continue to run that annual breakfast. This year, it will be held Sunday, Nov. 3, from 8:30-10 a.m., in the activity room at the church.

“We are keeping people alive with the money we send over there,” says Bruce. “It’s a worthwhile project.”

Every cent donated at the event reaches the people it is intended for, says Pat.

Dave and Miriam spent two years and 11 winters as missionaries in Malawi in the 1980s and 1990s. Their first years were spent in the south of Malawi, helping to establish a demonstration farm. In later years, they worked in the north of the country.

The money raised at the breakfast is sent to the Ekwendeni Presbyterian Hospital, in the north of Malawi. A health team is sent out and identifies the people most in need. Then cash, seed, fertilizer and housing are distributed.

The contact in Ekwendeni, Esther Lupafya, keeps Bruce informed as to how and where the money is spent.

Last year, the breakfast raised more than $14,000. That’s the equivalent of more than $17-million Kwacha, says Dave. The money goes a long way and there is a great team at the other end.

Eighty per cent of the people in Malawi still live in villages, in mud huts, says Dave.

“I miss Malawi dearly because of the people,” says Miriam. “They are the kindest, most generous and appreciative people I have ever met.”

Everyone is invited to the Malawi breakfast at Knox Presbyterian Church in Kincardine, Sunday, Nov. 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Pat says the menu includes omelets made to order, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes and maple syrup, strawberry jam and toast.

More than 100 breakfasts were served last year, and the McKechnies and Barries are hoping for another good turn-out this year.