Hot meals for thousands on World Hunger Day

To mark World Hunger Day, more than 2 000 vulnerable individuals across Barbados will be provided with hot meals next Tuesday. The initiative is spearheaded by the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness (BAEH) in partnership with several hotels, churches and non-governmental organisations.

While hunger may not be as prevalent here as in other parts of the world, Kemar Saffrey, the president of BAEH, acknowledged there are still people in need of food assistance. 

“Hunger is a major issue anywhere in the world,” he said. “While we may not suffer from malnutrition, and it may not be as dire in this part of the region as in other parts of the world, if you check the feedings that go on on a daily basis in and around Bridgetown and other parts of the island, you would see that not only homeless people suffer from hunger but also people who are not working, people who have challenging economic circumstances. I think a lot of emphasis has not been placed on it, but we still see people in Barbados having to beg for food, having to try to survive.”

Saffrey explained that this reality has been the driving force behind BAEH’s decision to launch the Barbados Project, an initiative he hopes will become an annual activity. “The feeding will be done in an orderly fashion,” he said. “We have asked members of Parliament to send us a list of vulnerable persons to visit the various feeding locations where those persons can receive a meal. There are 200 in some areas, 100 in others, and there are persons who will just come and receive a meal on that day.”

“The good thing about it is that we have now reached close to 2 000 meals thanks to several organisations and hotels.” 

The designated feeding locations are the BAEH Shelter on Spry Street; The Salvation Army on Reed Street; Calvary Moravian Church at Roebuck Street; Tyrol Cot Heritage Village in Bush Hall; Oistins, Christ Church; Golden Rock Community Centre in The Pine; Pneuma Ministries on Mayer’s Road in My Lord’s Hill; and Heroes Square, Bridgetown.

Partners involved in the initiative include Rotary International, the Salvation Army, Calvary Moravian Church, Turtle Beach and Tamarind by Elegant Hotels, Radisson Aquatica Resort and Seabreeze Beach House Hotel. (SD)