Tea Cup Breakfast and Brunch Series returns Aug 2
Published:Friday | July 2, 2021 | 12:07 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Last weekend, some 450 families across Clarendon, Kingston and St Catherine benefited from a two-day care package drive, courtesy of the Tea Cup Breakfast and Brunch Series, an annual event held on the Ranch in Rhymesbury, Clarendon. The event promoter, Terrel Pencle, told The Gleaner that amid the economic downturn due to the closure of the entertainment industry, the team was compelled to give back, noting that several people had lost their sources of income due to the pandemic.
“The Tea Cup Breakfast and Brunch Series has always been about giving back to the community; not just to generate funds. For us, giving back is not an extracurricular activity, it is a privilege,” he said.
Pencle said the team’s yearly charity projects were cancelled, citing loss of revenue to fund the ventures. He noted, however, that he was grateful for the support of members of the May Pen business community and other sponsors who assisted in making the care-package project possible.
“I reached out to a number of companies for product sponsorship and funding and some responded and provided products. This was a project that required extensive mobilisation, so I reached out to several car dealerships for assistance and without hesitation, Vitz Society JA, recognising the importance of the project, came on board for the two days,” he said.
One sponsor, Junior Wilson, owner of Stoplight Wholesale in May Pen, lauded Pencle as a philanthropist. “I always notice him doing a lot of charity work and I saw him reaching out to people and it touched me. I just called him and said, let me give you a helping hand, because we do a lot of things like that too,” he said.
Wilson, who sponsors other charitable ventures across the parish, said he is enthusiastic about giving back to the community. “It’s just that inner feeling ... if I see someone that genuinely needs helps, something inside me just says ‘help that person’,” he said.
Pencle commended the team of volunteers who offered assistance. “We broadcast the care package charity drive via social media and asked for volunteers to assist, and persons came and offered their unwavering support for the two days, and Richie’s Portobello Restaurant provided lunch for the entire team,” he shared.
With the entertainment industry reopening yesterday, Pencle said the news signifies a rebirth of the Tea Cup brand. “The conditional reopening of the entertainment industry gives us a chance to breathe again. For our team, this green light means a greater opportunity to help others. We are, however, still mindful of the pandemic and will ensure all protocols are observed to ensure safety of our patrons and staff,” he added.
The Tea Cup Breakfast and Brunch Series returns on August 2. Pencle predicts that the restaging of the event will have a greater impact. “Once we get the full support from corporate Jamaica and patrons locally and internationally, then the future of our events will be so bright that we can shine some light in the dark corners of our people who need it the most,” he said.