Charity aims to transform lives, one hamper at a time

 

A grassroots charity founded in 2000 is now delivering food and support to 40 vulnerable households across Barbados each week, with several beneficiaries achieving notable educational and housing successes.

Neighbour Neighbour, which operates across six parishes, has built a network of corporate and individual donors to provide regular food supplies to families in need, according to chairman Errol Griffith.

Griffith said: “We started with a goal to seek to be of assistance to whoever we could, spiritually, mentally, socially, emotionally, physically, financially and or materially.

“We wish persons to move from dependence to independence, and to inter-dependence. The aim is to teach persons to fish, and not only feed them fish.”

Received weekly are chicken and eggs from Chickmont Foods Ltd., bread from Carter’s Bakery and root vegetables and vegetables from Leslie’s Meat and Vegetables. Biscuits and snacks are received monthly from The West India Biscuit Company Limited (WIBISCO).

After learning about the charity, one retired couple volunteered to donate enough dry goods once monthly to make 40 hampers. They have now moved to bi-monthly and provided enough groceries this month to pack 58 hampers.

Sol (Barbados) Ltd.’s Holborn, Warrens, and Redman’s stations each contribute fuel every month. As the charity does not own a vehicle, some donors make vehicles available at times, including Courtesy Garage Ltd.

The donations are collected from Christ Church, St Michael, St George, St Thomas and St Lucy, and most of the beneficiaries live in St Peter, St Thomas, St Michael, Christ Church, St Philip and St George. This was all done by a single person up until July 2023 and took approximately 12 hours every week to complete. Personal relationships were built with members of each household.

The collections are now shared by one or two people, and the distribution is divided into three routes.

Inness Begg and Andrew Jordan alternate on the St George-St Thomas route, Griffith covers St Philip, part of St Michael and part of St Thomas, and Alec Begg and William Gordon agreed to alternate on the Christ Church and part of the St Michael route.

“We celebrate every achievement within the households, whether big or small,” Griffith said.

“We were able to play a part in two of the families receiving homes from the Rural Development Commission and the Urban Development Commission.”

He continued: “In one family, a 20-year-old is scheduled to graduate from the University of the West Indies in 2025. A teenager in another started their degree programme in September. There were many times when the parents did not know whether they would have breakfast items for them to take to school.

“In a third family, their child is the first in the history of the school to become deputy head [boy] in third form.

“One parent commenced a weekly online reading course tutored by a Barbadian living in Canada.”

The story of each of the 40 families is unique. Each has come to the place of need following unwise decisions and or by choosing to be influenced negatively by circumstances and the actions and words of others.

“What is clear is there is a spirit and mindset of poverty that needs to be broken. Some of the parents and children are very pleasing to interact with, while others are more challenging. However, rain falls on the just and unjust. So, we plough on,” Griffith said.

He added: “If Barbados is to become the best it can be, more persons with genuine hearts of love need to recognise the extent of the need in this country and choose to play a meaningful part in the change that is necessary.

“Some persons can contribute financially, while others can give of items in their homes that they do not need or seldom use, whether appliances, furniture, equipment including computers, clothing, utensils and the like. One does not have to be ‘rich’ to give to others.”