CIBC First Caribbean donated hampers for Christmas

Management and staff of the insurance arm of CIBC FirstCaribbean dedicated their time to make the holiday season merry and bright for the elderly residents of the Soroptimist Village in Eden Lodge last Saturday, December 18.

Staff distributed hampers packed with toiletries, linens and non-perishable food items for the 22 residents of the village.
Ramona Smart, president of the Soroptimist International of Barbados, which runs the village, welcomed the donation, calling it a “bright spot” in what has again been a challenging year for the village and its residents.

“We really are appreciative of this donation for our villagers. The COVID-19 surges made 2021 another challenging year for the village in several ways. For one, we frequently had to close the centre here which we usually rent out for church services, classes and other activities so that greatly reduced the income which would usually go into maintenance and other extras for our villagers,” explained Smart.

“And just as importantly, the various lockdowns and restrictions have perhaps impacted the elderly most of all. COVID-19 has made for some very lonely times over the past two years. The usual excursions and outings our villagers and day visitors would have had; the visits they would have had from school children and so on – that had to be put on hold for their safety,” she stated.

She added: “Something like this which reminds them they are not forgotten is a bright spot which is so welcomed.”
Berlinda Sutton, manager of Insurance Operations at the bank, noted that it was the organisation’s first time contributing to the Soroptimist Village but said they were looking forward to expanding the partnership in the future.

“This is the first time that we are actually partnering with the Soroptimist Village and we see it has a very healthy history. As the younger generation, we would love to be a part of this. This is probably just phase one, so we certainly look forward. And we don’t only want to give at Christmas. We look forward to being able to give in any way, whether it be physically, handing out stuff or giving service,” she remarked. (PR)