FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA RELEASE
FOOD FOR THE POOR & RED STRIPE BRING CHRISTMAS HOUSING-CHEER TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE SANDY IN ST. MARY
Spanish Town, St. Catherine – December 20, 2012: The Portland / Eastern Parishes Hurricane Relief Fund, Red Stripe and Food For The Poor today brought Christmas cheer and welcome relief to families in Hamilton Mountain, St. Mary, who had been left homeless by the ravages of Hurricane Sandy. The keys to the new homes built by Food For The Poor and financed by Red Stripe were today handed over to six families in the community, during a special presentation exercise.
This event marks the first of a series of hand-overs of houses this Christmas season, which will benefit 30 families in the eastern parishes, who are victims of Hurricane Sandy. Addressing today’s presentation ceremony, Jacqueline Johnson, Executive Director, FFP, announced that the families will receive both houses and furniture, “Thirty families will be able to spend the holiday season in their sturdy new two-bedroom homes. Each home will also receive tables, chairs, stoves, beds, mattresses and solar lamps.”
The Portland/Eastern Parishes Hurricane Relief Fund, which was established on October 29, has oversight for the relief initiative. Red Stripe (through the Diageo Foundation) has been a vital partner in the rebuilding efforts, through its $5.7 Million contribution to the construction of the houses.
Under the activities of this Fund, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica was given the mandate to coordinate the disbursement of supplies in St. Mary, Portland and St. Thomas. FFP has matched the private sector contributions of relief to the affected families.
Shortly after the hurricane, FFP identified Hamilton Mountain as one of the areas severely devastated by the hurricane and in urgent need of the replacement of its housing stock. Mrs. Johnson explained, “When Red Stripe donated $5.7M to the Portland/Eastern Parishes Hurricane Relief Fund to assist with the construction of homes, we knew this community had to be a priority. Today, we are here to hand over the keys to the first six, out of 10 families in this area, who will benefit from that donation.“
Affected families in Portland will be next in line to benefit. Keys will be handed over to four of five recipient families in the parish tomorrow. “This brings us to a total of 15 homes that we have constructed through the support of Corporate Jamaica. However, it does not end there. FFP has also matched this amount by constructing an additional 15 houses in all three parishes,” Mrs. Johnson disclosed.
The communities in St. Thomas which will benefit include Johns Town, Pamphret and Dumphries.
FFP has also commended Red Stripe for its contribution and commitment to improving the welfare of the dispossessed and less fortunate. “Special thanks to Red Stripe and the other corporate sponsors who contributed in cash or kind. As you can see, your generosity is making a huge difference and we anticipate your continued support in 2013 and beyond,” declared Mrs. Johnson. “Thanks also to the Portland / Eastern Parishes Hurricane Relief Fund for allowing FFP to continue to carry out its mandate of serving the poorest of the poor. ”
Red Stripe has expressed satisfaction with its partnership in the recovery efforts. Ms. Marguerite Cremin, Head of Corporate Relations at Red Stripe stated: “We are delighted to have been able to donate the money to build these homes and give these families some peace of mind and comfort in time for Christmas through the generosity of the Diageo Foundation. They have been an invaluable support in this challenging time and once again have been a great support to Red Stripe and Jamaica.”
The recipient families are overjoyed at the gifts of shelter and furniture. With tears of joy streaming down her face, 50 year old Linda Cole declared her appreciation for her new house: “Words will never be enough to give thanks to Food For The Poor and Red Stripe for making my dream of having a new home a reality.” She related that her house and furniture had been destroyed in the Hurricane and since that time, she, her daughter and grand-daughter have been “kotching” with their Pastor and his family. Ms. Cole said her Christmas will be brighter with the new gift and added, “We wish Food For The Poor would be here everyday for us to express our thanks to them.”
Contact:
Erica James-King,
PROComm
Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor
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