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Knights of Columbus Laconia Council #428
In September of 2019, I, Kepler Padilla, Grand Knight of Laconia Council 428 of the Knights of Columbus, with the support of St. Andre Bessette Parish embarked on a program to clothe the children of the Andes in Peru with winter jackets after responding to an article which indicated that 80 children had died of hypothermia and more were destined to die due to lack of proper clothing. To maximize the number of jackets distributed I worked with a factory in Lima Peru which made it possible by fabricating the jackets there. We donated a total of 425 jackets to the children of different areas of the Andes.
One of the cities chosen was Huasta, in the state of Ancash which sits 11,106 feet above sea level and is reachable by a one-lane gravel road from the city of Chiquian which is 25 minutes away.
During my visit, I was greeted by Mayor Edison Perez of Huasta. After the presentation of the jackets, he gave me a tour of the city which included a building being constructed for the neediest orphans and seniors of the city.
A year later, due to the pandemic, I was unable to go to Peru to fabricate any jackets since the entire country was on lockdown. This also caused most families to lose their jobs and be unable to obtain the basics to feed their families. Having worked with the Sisters Ministers of Saint Vincent De Paul on the "Coats for Kids" program, they reached out to me for any help our council could give them to feed the people of the Andes. As in the past, our council and Saint Andre Bessette Parish responded with open arms to enable me to donate, to the six soup kitchens, over $19,000 which enabled them to serve over 62,000 meals.
At the same time, Mayor Perez called me and informed me that the state had rescinded all funding for the center he had just completed. He asked me if the Knights of Columbus would take over management and control of the center so the neediest of his city would be able to be taken care of. Without a second thought, I agreed and gathered the officers of our council to see how we could best accomplish this. Our solution was to incorporate "Huasta House of Hope" as a 501c3 corporation and to begin fundraising to open the doors.
After months of preparation Huasta House of Hope became a reality on Sunday, September 19th when Mayor Perez and I signed the agreement giving Huasta House of Hope control of the physical plant in this city.
The Sister Ministers of Saint Vincent De Paul have been working in the Andes of Peru helping those most needy orphans and senior brothers and sisters. Our first program working with the sisters was the Knights Coats for Kids / Peru. The sisters of each village where we donated jackets worked side by side with Brother Kepler to ensure all children in need received a donated jacket. Since then, the Sister Ministers of Saint Vincent De Paul have worked with Brother Kepler to Feed the Hungry / Peru. On January 9, 2022, Mother Mercedes Calderon, the mother superior of the order approved the placement of two sisters to oversee Huasta House of Hope. The sisters will tend to both the body and soul of our youngsters and seniors. Our brothers and sisters could not be in better hands. Welcome Sisters and God Bless your work.
And in closing Brothers and Sisters this is how I, our Founder, Brother Kepler Padilla, working together with the Missionary Sisters of Saint Vincent De Paul, and always guided by the Holy Spirit first answered the prayers of the people of Huasta, Peru, 3695 miles away from Laconia, New Hampshire to clothe His children. By keeping our oath as brothers of the Knights of Columbus the Holy Spirit again directed us to feed the hungry which we did with open arms, and finally again following his wishes opened Huasta House of Hope. It is our promise to help our needy brothers and sisters, wherever they are, in this instance 11,106 feet in the Andes of Peru, helping those who prayed and trusted in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are there to serve those most needy. God Bless!