Container for the Christmas

It was the season of collaboration and spreading cheer and the Pringle Home for Children, located in Carron Hall, St Mary, are beneficiaries of both, as JP Farms and Lannaman & Morris Shipping partnered to answer the call for storage needs at the children’s home just in time for the holiday season.

Following the donation of a 20-foot container valued at $550,000, by local shipping agent Lannaman & Morris Shipping, JP Farms pledged $250,000 in cash support towards retrofitting the container and assisting with any other preparations at the home to have the container ready for use. The donations will assist the staff and children with better organisation of inventory and streamlining operations at the facility.

During a brief handover last month, Jeanette Rose-Bryan, a director at the home, expressed gratitude for JP Farms’ ongoing commitment, citing the historical connection with John Pringle, who was instrumental in the formation of the Jamaica Banana Producers Association in the 1920s, which would later become Jamaica Producers Group.

“Today’s event is a watershed; JP Farms is one of our valued partners as John Pringle also gave lands to the home. Our relationship with them is one of legacy and they are a presence at the Pringle Home in improving the quality of care. It shows that when we are serving the valued children of Jamaica, we have to be open to the partnership of both private and public sectors,” Rose-Bryan said.

She emphasised that the partnership between JP Farms and Lannaman & Morris “further demonstrates that collaboration works. Everyone must understand that it goes beyond caring and protecting a child, it’s nation-building.”

Dr Pansy Hamilton, member of the board for the Pringle Home, and Rose Wedderburn, deputy general secretary of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, to which the home is owned and operated, were also present at the handover. The women shared the positive impact the donation will have on the facility’s physical space which has quarters for up to 30 children, allowing for the refurbishment of areas currently used for storage into spaces for recreation and other activities.

They further noted that contribution of both the container and cash donation will assist with improving the quality of accommodation at the Pringle Home, which is one of the oldest places of safety for children, having celebrated its centenary last year.

Commitment to home

JP Farms General Manager Mario Figueroa highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting the home and the significance of the gifts at this time of year.

“It has been particularly fulfilling to join hands with Lannaman and Morris to lend corporate support to the Pringle Home, especially at this time of year. We have an ongoing relationship with the home as we are both based in St Mary, and have been happy to pitch in where we can to create an environment where the children feel comfortable, supported and valued,” Figueroa remarked.

Charmaine Maragh, group executive chairman and CEO at Lannaman & Morris, shared the same sentiment of community support and corporate social responsibility.

“When approached to lend support with the project for the girls, I didn’t think twice to offer a container. We recognise the need to care for them in order to get them on the right path. Whatever Lannaman & Morris can do to help the community, I am ready to say, ‘Let’s jump right in’,” she said.

JP Farms said the donation underscored its 2022 pledge of support to the home and its commitment to fostering positive change in and outside of the communities they operate. In addition to regular donations of its farm fresh bananas and pineapples, in 2022 the company assisted with the refurbishment of the home’s family visiting rooms and donated and installed a water pump with capacity to supply more than 60,000 gallons of water.