Local News NOW’s helping hand aids 40 jobless households by Anesta Henry 24/12/2020 written by Anesta Henry 24/12/2020 2 min read A+A- Reset Marsha Hinds-Layne Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 193 The National Organization of Women (NOW) has presented almost 40 families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with food for Christmas, President Marsha Hinds has told Barbados TODAY. Although the organization’s funds have been depleted since September as it assisted women and children during the lockdown period, NOW’s management had to make a quiet appeal for food, toys, and vouchers, to make Christmas possible for these same families. Hinds-Layne explained that while NOW does not usually embark on Christmas appeals, this is the time of the year where there is an escalation in domestic and intimate partner violence. She said: “Usually our efforts are focused on advocacy and supporting women and girls who find themselves victims of domestic, intimate partner, or sexual violence. “This year, however, because of the calls that started to come in from families that we would have worked with earlier in the year, we made a decision to have a small outreach project. It was not a national scale project because we didn’t have the funds to do that. “Our funds pretty much have been depleted since about September this year because of the work that we were called to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.” You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians Hinds revealed that a sponsor came forward and extended another helping hand but was specific in how she wanted the donation to be used But thanks to the unnamed donor’s gift, NOW is able to stuff stockings for children who would not have gotten Christmas gifts because their parents are currently unemployed and are unable to meet the financial needs of their families, she said. “We were also able to pack some hampers for some families and through the support of another partner we were also able to distribute a number of vouchers. The programme ends today December 23 and all of the families have been furnished with the things that we could extend to them. “It wasn’t a large-scale programme because we didn’t have the funds to make it a large scale programme but we were still able to reach out and touch I would say about 35 families in all and these are families that we would have worked with during the COVID-19 period and so we had established their needs and their information.” (AH) Anesta Henry You may also like Statement by Housing Minister Dwight Sutherland on the passing of Shamir Alleyne 20/02/2025 Man fatally shot and two others injured 20/02/2025 Thief must repay grandmother $24 000 to avoid jail 20/02/2025