Government is preparing to distribute 60,000 care packages to the most vulnerable in the next two weeks, said Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw, who is to lead a team of five other ministers in helping to roll out the programme.
During a televised press conference Thursday evening, Bradshaw said the initiative was aimed at ensuring those living below the poverty threshold were taken care of during the two-week lockdown that begins Wednesday.
On the team are People and Community Empowerment Minister Cynthia Forde, Culture Minister John King, Tourism Minister Senator Lisa Cummins, Minister for Investment Marsha Caddle and Minister for Innovation and Smart Technology Senator Kay McConney.
“We will assist and help to coordinate and put together the logistics to enable persons who are most vulnerable in our society to access what is perhaps a basic necessity, which is food and certainly produce at this particularly difficult time,” Bradshaw explained.
She said it was expected the care packages would be delivered between February 9 and 11.
Bradshaw told journalists: “We have started that process of compiling the goods. We are also going to be using the assistance of the Barbados Defence Force to help us to package and we are also going to be using the School Meals Centers to be able to assist us in putting those items together.
“The expected timeframe for the distribution is between February 9 and 11. We want to give people an opportunity over the next couple days to stock up on what they need wherever possible, but we recognize that by the second week those stocks may be running low, equally your financial resources may be running low and we want to put you in a position that at least you have something to be able to tie you over for the next couple weeks as well.”
She said while the National Assistance Board, Welfare Department and the Household Mitigation Unit had already prepared a list of vulnerable people, she accepted there are other individuals not on the list who are in dire need of assistance.
Government, she said, is using all databases available and Members of Parliament and churches would be used to help identify those people.
She said they would be working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and with farmers to ensure recipients get healthy food options.
Bradshaw also called on the private sector and charities to provide support wherever possible. (RB)
