#Bahamas, December 19, 2017 – Nassau – In their pursuit to feed 5,000 families for the holidays, the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN) raised $84,000 to distribute 2,100 Christmas meal parcels.
“This initiative with AML Solomon’s and ALIV enabled us to raise sufficient funds for 2,100 Christmas food parcels,” BFN Executive Director Philip Smith said. “Each parcel feeds a family of four, so that’s approximately 8,000 people who’ve received meals.
“The meals consisted of a chicken, a picnic ham, canned peas and vegetables, stuffing, and five pounds of rice. On December 19th we distributed the parcels through our 108 members, consisting of churches, feeding organisations, and soup kitchens, who then distributed in their respective areas to the people they know are needy.”
As the cost of living continues to rise, the Bahamas Feeding Network is seeing a greater demand to help meet the everyday needs of individuals.
“Obviously the economy is not what it used to be nor what it can be, and we’ve noticed that we’ve doubled our output over the last year and a half, so there is definitively a growing demand for food. The Department of Statistics said there are 43,000 people, or 12.8% of the Bahamian population, that experience hunger. An individual needs $11 and some change in order to provide their basic needs on a daily basis, and there are 43,000 people who are not able to amass that $11,” said Smith.
A donation from CIBC FirstCaribbean assisted the charity in pursuing its target and surpassing last year’s count of 1,600 parcels by 30%.
Maya Nottage, CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Marketing Director, expressed the bank’s commitment to worthwhile community endeavours such the BFN’s. “CIBC FirstCaribbean has a commitment to meeting the needs of the community where it is felt the most. We know the amount of people who experience hunger in our country is too great, and we commend the Bahamas Feeding Network for the work they’re doing to reach those people who need help most. We’re happy we were able to help them surpass last year’s count, and hopefully next year will be even better.”
Smith said: “We’re very thankful to CIBC FirstCaribbean for their continued support. We used half of their donation for this Christmas initiative. The other 50% will go into the BFN’s purchase of food for cooking on a weekly basis.”
Photo caption: The Bahamas Feeding Network had busy hands this holiday season, as they worked towards their goal of feeding five thousand individuals, with a little bit of help from CIBC FirstCaribbean. L to R: Bahamas Feeding Network Executive Director Philip Smith and CIBC FirstCaribbean Palmdale Branch Sales Specialist Marlon Johnson. Photo credit: Derek Smith
Press Release: CIBCFCIB
