In just under three weeks since Prime Minister Hubert Minnis implemented The Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Order, 2020, Bahamas Feeding Network has distributed $40,000 in gift cards and approximately $15,000 in food parcels to those severely impacted by the conditions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Literally overnight, life changed for so many citizens,” said Philip Smith, Executive Director Bahamas Feeding Network. “Though we have discontinued cooking at our centre in Fox Hill, an effort that would have provided more than 6,000 hot meals weekly, we have been working diligently to determine a strategy to provide tangible relief to the thousands of Bahamians who are now without jobs and facing a future of uncertainty since the outbreak of the coronavirus.”
Over a two day period last week, the Network distributed $40,000 in gift cards; $30,000 of which came from the Feed the 5,000 campaign led by Abaco Market Limited (AML) in December of last year.
Executive Director of the Bahamas Feeding Network, Philip Smith.
Bahamas Feeding Network volunteers assemble food parcels. (File photo)
“The Christmas Feed the 5,000 initiative raised just over $100,000 in December with $35,000 distributed in Grand Bahama and $42,000 in New Providence,” said Smith. “AML ran out of gift cards and therefore we were unable to distribute the balance of $30,000 at Christmas. The Lord had it that the remaining gift cards came just in time to assist persons affected by COVID-19.”
Making up the $40,000 donation was an $8,000.00 donation from the Free Town Constituency Capital Grant via the Hon. Dionisio D'Aguilar MP for the Free Town constituency. The remaining $2,000 was from miscellaneous donations. The vouchers and food parcels were distributed through the Network’s membership of churches, soup kitchens and feeding centres as well as to individuals and families, some of whom were in the Free Town Constituency. Families from Grand Bahama and Abaco living in Nassau that were displaced by Hurricane Dorian were also recipients of the donations.
The approximately $15,000 worth of food parcels, which included a variety of goods, were donations from a number of wholesalers and Hands for Hunger.
For more info on how you can donate, visit www.bahamasfeedingnetwork.org or call 427-8477.
