Needy St James children get ‘timely’ snack packages
Published:Monday | February 20, 2023 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
‘TIMELY’ WAS the immediate response from Garvin Atkinson, principal of Chetwood Memorial Primary School in St James, after receiving snack packages for his students from Rev. Burchell McPherson, Bishop of Montego Bay, who was sponsored the items by William Mahfood of the Wisynco Group of Companies, as part of ensuring that those in need are able to have a meal.
Atkinson’s response follows last Monday’s presentation of 200 snack packages to students at four schools in the parish, namely St Mary’s Roman Catholic Early Childhood, Cambridge Infant, Chetwood Memorial Primary and Railway Lane Basic.
“These snack packages are timely and are very important to us as administrators in helping to provide for the needs of our students,” Atkinson said.
He noted that of the 1,125-student population, over 350 are needy children and from the 50 packages he received, extreme care will be practised to facilitate those considered the most needy.
“The packages have come at a timely juncture and I have mandated my guidance counsellor and grade one teachers to find the neediest among our students to give them to,” the principal told The Gleaner last Tuesday.
McPherson, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Montego Bay, said he was moved to seek help for these children on the basis that among them there are those who are having difficulties quenching their hunger.
He said his desire to help led him to reach out to businessman Mahfood, who responded favourably to his request and provided several food items which he packed and shared among the four schools.
“We put together some food packages to help them out because some of them are really suffering,” said McPherson, “We were only able to reach out to a small number of children at this time, but we hope to increase that figure at another time, God’s willing.”