Fontana Pharmacy kicks off 2020 with community treat
Published:Friday | January 10, 2020 | 12:00 AMVanessa James/Gleaner Writer
Some 200 children, along with a host of adults on New Year’s Day, benefited from Fontana Pharmacy Barbican annual community treat.
The children were treated to free rides, food, desserts and gift bags which were handed out at the end of the event.
Elmore Jamieson, public relations and outreach coordinator at Fontana Pharmacy, said this year’s treat was a success for all who attended.
“Last year, we had over 200 children and they enjoyed the treat, they got free rides, treats, gift and goodies bags, back-to-school items. It’s the same thing that happened this year, but there were fewer adults, more children and we actually had more items to give away. So it was well received,” he said.
Along with the treat, a number of charities also benefited from Fontana’s Wishing Tree charity, where each branch islandwide erected a six-foot Christmas tree and decorate it with tags of names of patients or residents of a selected home or hospital that is close to the branch.
“Customers come in and select a name from the tree and buy a gift for that person. We give a 20 per cent discount on each gift bought for this purpose,” explained Jamieson. “Some customers even leave personalised notes to make it more special. The store donates gifts for the names not selected and we dress up as Santa Ana elves on December 24 and these gifts are delivered.”
The following home benefited from the Wishing Tree donations:
Clifton Boy’s Home, (Savanna-la-mar branch; Mary’s Child Home for Girls (Kingston (Barbican) branch); The St Andrew Parish Church Home for Girls (Kingston (Waterloo) branch); Mustard Seed Community Windsor Lodge (Montego Bay branch); New Vision City of Refuge Children’s Home (Mandeville branch); Mustard Seed Communities Jacob’s Ladder (Ocho Rios branch).
“It is a very wonderful thing; it touches me each time I see it,” said Jamieson, describing his experience with this charity.
According to Jamieson, giving back is a serious activity for Fontana Pharmacy, as it is deeply rooted in the core values of the company.
“Based on our core values; service, respect, family and community, this is something that is very important to Fontana. Family and community are very strong in our Fontana culture so, basically, the workers, the people we interact with daily, we take them seriously and hold them in high regard. So in the community that we operate, we give back to the same persons who help to build us and put us where we are now,” explained Jamieson.
Fontana Pharmacy gives back to its various communities throughout the year, through different charities, maintaining a relationship with its customers, neighbours, friends, and families over the years since the company’s inception in 1968.