Jenny Jenny reaches out to the blind
Published:Saturday | May 23, 2020 | 12:17 AMJason Cross/Gleaner Writer
MORE THAN 200 members of the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) were given care packages of food and other essential items yesterday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, courtesy of Jenny Jenny Productions.
Founder of Jenny Jenny Productions, Jennifer Small, told The Gleaner yesterday that she decided to make the donations after realising that not enough attention was being paid to the blind community, especially those in rural Jamaica.
Small forged partnerships with some of Jamaica’s large producers and distributors of food and other items to assist blind people in rural areas.
“We selected our partners and we told them we would give them some money and then they could make a contribution on top of that. We know these companies would be bombarded with calls for freeness. We want to big up Nestlé Jamaica, GraceKennedy, Excelsior, Tastee Cheese, the Lasco Chin Foundation and Yummy Bakery. What we were thinking of is how we could balance their diets. They will receive Crystal Spring water and flour and Creamy wheat Cereal from JF Mills,” said disclosed.
Mary Mitchell-Coombs, first vice-chair for JSB, told The Gleaner that the donations would enable the organisation to assist some of its 3,000-strong membership, located in parishes such as Manchester, Clarendon, St James and Westmoreland.
Conrad Harris, executive director of JSB, said the donations are timely, as most blind persons are not currently employed or do mainly subsistent activities.
“Many of them depend on others for assistance and ... because of the current situation they are not getting the assistance they probably would get normally. This will go a far way to meet some of the demands of these persons,” he said.
JSB Chairman Damian McLean said that the entity has not been able to assist as many Jamaicans who are blind as it normally would because of the many restrictions stemming from COVID-19.