One local philanthropist is not letting the outbreak of the Coronavirus prevent her from providing daily meals for dozens of people in need.
Sharon Bellamy-Thompson, the founder of Fishers of Men charity revealed that the demand for her feeding programme is at the highest it has been throughout the organisation’s 30 years of existence.
Despite the extraordinary need caused primarily by sudden job losses, she has also been on the receiving end of an unprecedented outpouring of support from Corporate Barbados.
Early Thursday morning, Bellamy-Thompson – a fish vendor at the Bridgetown Fish Market was spotted distributing food to homeless and needy people in Jubilee Gardens as is her custom. But she explained this is but a small portion of the work which she considers her Christian duty.
Sharon Bellamy (right) distributes food to homeless and needy people in Jubilee Gardens.
“COVID-19 has made a big difference in terms of the work that I am doing. The major difference is that I am feeding more people than ever. There are so many people currently in need. Not only do I feed the homeless, but I also do a lot of other charity work behind the scenes. Many children are in my community and over the last few weeks they needed assistance and I have distributed over 100 hampers to poor families who are really in need,” she said.
As Barbados TODAY interacted with homeless people on the receiving end of the charitable assistance, it became clear that for some, the assistance could mean the difference between life and death.
“She doesn’t ask why you’re on the streets or anything like that because she knows that each of us has different reasons. Sunday to Sunday and through storms, Sharon comes out here and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. We look forward to knowing that we can come out here and receive food,” said Roosevelt Glasgow, who has been homeless for the last five years.
Roosevelt Glasgow
Meanwhile, Winston Stoute, a 55-year-old who has been homeless for seven years, told Barbados TODAY that the COVID-19 crisis struck just weeks after he had gotten a job, placing him back at square one. For him, assistance with food has come in the nick of time.
“I have never come across someone who feeds us as she does on the streets. She does her work with care and a loving heart…. I have a little job and because of the shutdown, I can’t work, and she assists me with a portion of food every day,” Stoute revealed.
The philanthropist, however, admits that she would be unable to meet the growing demand without donors like the Amarone Charitable Trust, the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust, Popular Discounts – her largest donor, and Carter’s Bakery.
“People see what I do; they know I am not a fraud and I do what I say I will do. The Hilton Barbados even called me a few weeks ago and gave me all of their fruits,” Bellamy-Thompson revealed.
Winston Stoute
“COVID-19 has its good and it has its bad. This crisis has provided me with more sponsors than I have ever had before. I believe that people know that the need is great. The Bible says when you give to the poor, you are lending to the Lord and these donors know and understand the situation,” she added.
In an earlier interview, the unsung hero told Barbados TODAY she was inspired by the generous nature of her mother, Maureen Bellamy who she often accompanied as a six-year-old to feed those in need. As she entered her teens, Bellamy-Thompson’s ministry grew until, prompted by “God”, she came up with the name, Fishers of Men.
Since then, she has been offering breakfast, lunch and sometimes even dinner to Barbadians near the Jubilee Gardens in The City, hosting huge parties for children and executing any other philanthropic venture which she conceives.
“I remember sometime back a couple of years, God told me to feed the poor and that I did. I had a lump sum of money and that money ran out and from the time it went I started to cry out to God and he sent adequate people around me and the great suppliers who provide for me each and every day,” revealed the avid member of the Power in the Blood Assembly.
Bellamy-Thompson who is married with a 24-year-old daughter finds little difficulty balancing family life with her professional life and charitable work. At the fish market she employs two men who cut clean and prepare the fish for sale, while she uses her skills as a saleswoman to attract customers to her stall.
She explained: “When you do something that you love, it comes easy and natural. Every morning I wake up at 3 o’clock, it’s natural. I can’t oversleep until 4’clock because that would put me in trouble, because there’s a voice prompting me at 3 o’clock. So it’s not a problem, because God gives me the strength.” kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb
