GK Campus Connect Food Bank throws lifeline to students
Published:Wednesday | April 5, 2023 | 12:19 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The GraceKennedy Foundation is aiming to double the number of tertiary-level students it assists in accessing nutritious meals through its GK Campus Connect Food Bank. This is the first commitment from the Food Bank’s first patron, GK Group CEO Don Wehby, who was appointed on Monday.
“We’re going to be continuing to make a significant investment in our food bank. We’re going to continue to make a significant investment in our youth development, our national development, and our schools for a better future for Jamaica,” he declared.
Established in 2019 by the GraceKennedy Foundation, the food bank currently provides 200 students at The University of the West Indies (UWI); The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech); and the Edna Manley College of the Performing Arts with a package of food items each month. Since its inception, the food bank has distributed 3,500 packages to over 1,500 students and has also supported feeding programmes at the UWI and UTech for students living on campus and during exam periods.
Wehby asserted that under his patronage, the food bank will be working to double the number of students it currently assists.
“When you hear the stories of hardships that our students face and see the challenges that many have to grapple with, you realise the far-reaching impact the food bank has,” he said on Monday. “The food bank is a valuable lifeline for those it serves, and I am proud to be playing a more integral role in the commendable work our GK Foundation is doing.”
Final-year UWI student Donrick Dixon shared how the initiative has helped him.
The Rockfort, east Kingston native grew up in a single-parent household with five other siblings and faced immense financial difficulties when he decided to attend university.
Luckily for Dixon, who is currently pursuing a degree in management and human resource studies, he does not have to worry as much about his meals. This, he admitted, has brought him great relief.
OF TREMENDOUS HELP
“I can rely heavily on this initiative when I’m short on nutritious groceries and basic household hygienic items, which can be extremely expensive. Without a doubt, the food bank has been a tremendous help,” he said.
The food bank is the brainchild of UWI undergraduate students Norval and Claudine Mendez, who conceptualised the initiative through their programme Hands Across the Hall Action Project, which provided food items for students living on halls of residence at The UWI, Mona.
The duo approached the GraceKennedy Foundation with a proposal to expand the project, which has now morphed into the food bank and is providing more support to students.
“Many of us (students) no longer have to worry about where the support will be coming from because we are considered and taken care of and so we remain indebted and thankful for all for the help from the food bank,” Dixon said.
It is this kind of food security that GraceKennedy Foundation CEO Caroline Mahfood says is the ultimate aim of the initiative.
“No student should have to choose between buying textbooks and their health and well-being. Providing those in need with groceries means that these students have one less thing to worry about so that they can better focus on their studies,” she noted.
The GK Campus Connect Food Bank is supported by several donors, including Restaurant Associates Limited, JP Tropical Foods, Proven Investments, Derrimon Trading, Roots Strong, and New GPC Inc.
Deidre Cousins, chair of the foundation’s Healthy Lifestyles Committee, is urging more donors to get on board.
“We strongly believe that by working together, we can make a meaningful impact in the lives of our students and ensure that we help those in need,” she said.