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Royal Caribbean donates to Bahamas Feeding Network

Fri, Jun 11th 2021, 09:41 PM
Business Tribune Stories

ROYAL Caribbean Cruise Line has donated some twenty 40-foot containers filled with meat and groceries to the Bahamas Feeding Network as a part of its ongoing relationship with The Bahamas.

The day before its first voyage from The Bahamas as a home port, the cruise line’s VP of government relations made a stop to the Fox Hill Community Centre, one of three locations for the BFN’s food distribution.
#Its executive director, Philip Smith, was on hand to thank the cruise line for its continued support of the feeding programme.
#Since its first donation of $25,000, the cruise line has ramped up its support annually, first to $100,000, then in 2019, quadrupling it to $400,000. Royal Caribbean repeated the generous donation in 2020, despite the complete lockdown of the cruise industry following the COVID outbreak.
#“We were blown away by the fact that even when they were totally shut down, they remained committed to helping feed the hungry,” said Mr Smith. “With the dramatic spike in unemployment during the COVID pandemic, the Bahamas Feeding Network took on an expanded role, serving as one of the integral partners in the National Food Distribution Task Force, currently distributing to 5,000 families, or 20,000 individuals every two weeks.
#“Royal Caribbean’s most recent donation was its most generous to date – twenty 40-foot containers filled from front to back and floor to ceiling with meat and another container with groceries.”
#In response to Mr Smith, the Royal Caribbean Vice President Russell Benford hailed him as a mentor in corporate responsibility.
#“From the first time we saw the work of the Bahamas Feeding Network when you and dozens of volunteers were preparing and boxing hot meals in the humble Moseff House cottage down the road, we were super impressed,” he said. “At Royal Caribbean we are so incredibly appreciative just for the opportunity to be able to help and be a part of this. The Feeding Network is a beautiful organisation.
#“For those who don’t know, we started this relationship a little over two years ago with just a little small donation and then Philip reached out and said, ‘Hey you guys should come by.’ So we brought a small group of people out of that group, including Michael Bailey, our president CEO.

The day before its first voyage from The Bahamas as a home port, the cruise line’s VP of government relations made a stop to the Fox Hill Community Centre, one of three locations for the BFN’s food distribution.

Its executive director, Philip Smith, was on hand to thank the cruise line for its continued support of the feeding programme.

Since its first donation of $25,000, the cruise line has ramped up its support annually, first to $100,000, then in 2019, quadrupling it to $400,000. Royal Caribbean repeated the generous donation in 2020, despite the complete lockdown of the cruise industry following the COVID outbreak.

“We were blown away by the fact that even when they were totally shut down, they remained committed to helping feed the hungry,” said Mr Smith. “With the dramatic spike in unemployment during the COVID pandemic, the Bahamas Feeding Network took on an expanded role, serving as one of the integral partners in the National Food Distribution Task Force, currently distributing to 5,000 families, or 20,000 individuals every two weeks.

“Royal Caribbean’s most recent donation was its most generous to date – twenty 40-foot containers filled from front to back and floor to ceiling with meat and another container with groceries.”

In response to Mr Smith, the Royal Caribbean Vice President Russell Benford hailed him as a mentor in corporate responsibility.

“From the first time we saw the work of the Bahamas Feeding Network when you and dozens of volunteers were preparing and boxing hot meals in the humble Moseff House cottage down the road, we were super impressed,” he said. “At Royal Caribbean we are so incredibly appreciative just for the opportunity to be able to help and be a part of this. The Feeding Network is a beautiful organisation.

“For those who don’t know, we started this relationship a little over two years ago with just a little small donation and then Philip reached out and said, ‘Hey you guys should come by.’ So we brought a small group of people out of that group, including Michael Bailey, our president CEO.

 

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