Eleven local organizations gather to receive donations from the Bahamas Feeding Network and Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas. Pictured: Philip Smith Executive Director Bahamas Feeding Network, Carla Card-Stubbs Assistant Governor Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas, Hon. Adrian White Member of Parliament for St. Anne’s, Rotary Bahamas representatives and representatives from the beneficiary organizations.
Cheerful Givers: Bahamas Feeding Network and Bahamas Rotary Clubs Donate $55,000 to 11 Organizations
In celebration of World Food Day, the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN) and the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas (RCOB) joined forces to donate $55,000 worth of food vouchers to 11 organizations to assist in the fight against hunger. Donations were given during a presentation at the Network’s Fox Hill Community Centre temporary headquarters.
“While the operations and funding of the National Food Distribution Task Force, which we were a member of, recently ended, our commitment to feeding the hungry has not,” said Phillip Smith, executive director of Bahamas Feeding Network. “During the pandemic we were responsible for 17 Family Islands in addition to the southeastern section of New Providence comprising of approximately 5,000 families. Prior to joining the Task Force, our supply chain included allocating meals and food parcels to our member partners who would in turn distribute the items to their membership and persons within their communities. We’re now continuing in that vein and are happy to relaunch, so to speak, in recognition of World Food Day.”
Each organization is receiving $5,000 to be used for purchases at select wholesalers such as AML Foods, Jamaica Bahama Imports, Milo Butler Distributors, Bahamas International Foods and others. Recipients of this first round of donations included Unity House, the AIDS Foundation, the Crisis Centre, Teen Challenge, Ranfurly Homes for Children, Eljay’s Hilltop Cottage Ministries, Families of All Murdered Victims, Cornerstone Zion Church, Creative Christian Arts Ministries International, Ambassador Chorale and Great Commission Ministries.
Like Rotary International, the local Rotary clubs assist with sustainable projects that tackle hunger and food insecurity. Being a long-time partner of the Bahamas Feeding Network a joint-partnership was created where Bahamas Feeding Network and Rotary Bahamas donated a total of $55,000.
“As a community-inspired response to the economic fallout and the resultant social and community challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, Rotary Bahamas entered discussions with the Bahamas Feeding Network to execute a targeted program,” said Carla Card-Stubbs, Assistant Governor, Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas. “The restriction of movement with the loss of work opportunities made it very difficult for many households to have reliable and consistent access to food, a basic need. This program is designed to benefit particularly vulnerable groups via a food assistance programme to assist persons who sometimes fall through the cracks of the social support network.”
Beneficiary Eric Fox expressed Teen Challenge’s appreciation.
“This donation comes in at a real good time during the pandemic because donations have slowed down and so have the resources,” says Eric Fox Executive Director of Teen Challenge. “Every day we provide three meals to 18 young men and we try our best to provide healthy ones. This donation is a huge relief to our team of directors at Teen Challenge.”
In addition to the joint-partnership, four wholesalers collectively donated a total of $35,000 for the second round of the overall initiative. Donations were given by AML Foods, Jamaica Bahama Imports, Milo Butler Distributors and Bahamas International Foods.
Smith shared his gratitude with those at the press conference.
“I say this time and time again that the Bahamas Feeding Network would not be the arm of support for so many as it has been over the years if it were not for the generous financial assistance and in-kind donations we’ve received from businesses, organisations and individuals,” said Smith. “Our friends at Rotary have been with us for the journey and we’re pleased that we’ve joined forces once again in this initiative.”
