FOOD FOR THE POOR EXPANDS KINLOSS PRIMARY SCHOOL - News Release - August 26, 2015

IT’S IN GIVING THAT WE RECEIVE: Donors and volunteers from Kisko Products Canada, and Food For The Poor pause for a picture during the construction of a building for Kinloss Primary School & Infant School in Trelawny.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kingston, Jamaica – August 24, 2015: Three new classrooms, a sickbay, a staff room, a kitchen, a sanitation block, playground equipment, fencing and school furniture, have been donated to Kinloss Primary School’s Infant Department, by members of Food For The Poor (FFP) in partnership with donors, Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation and Kisko Products Incorporated, a company which started in Jamaica and which is the largest manufacturer of freeze pops in Canada.

The expansion of the new facilities for the school took place between Monday, August 17 and Wednesday, August 19 in Clarks Town, Trelawny where the school is located. Teams from FFP, Helping Hands Jamaica and Kisko Products participated in the construction work.

The official handing over of the expanded area of the school took place immediately after the construction ended on August 19.

Mark Josephs, President of Kisko Products, who also serves on the board of Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation, said his organisation chose to partner with FFP to expand Kinloss Primary’s Infant Department because there was a great need at the institution, and expanding the facility was an answer to the needs of the administrators and students.

“Kisko was started in Jamaica by my parents. We live in Canada now and we have always felt that it was important to give back. We are very excited to be here and we are happy to have the Kisko staff from Canada join us for this build,” Joseph said.

This is the second school to be constructed by Kisko Products in partnership with FFP in Jamaica. They also funded the construction of Georges Valley Basic School in Manchester in 2013.

Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director of FFP Canada, who arranged with the donors and volunteers, who all travelled to Jamaica to expand the school, encouraged the administrators, students and community members to take care of the new facility donated to them.

“It is a true honour for both Food For The Poor and our Canadian partners – Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation and Kisko Products, to give the 3 to 6 year olds of this community the opportunity to learn in a spacious, comfortable environment,” Mahfood said during her address.

In offering her gratitude to the donors, Jacqueline Shirley, principal of Kinloss Primary & Infant School, said she was excited that the school’s Infant Department could now accommodate 60 students. In the past, only 30 students, could be accommodated.

“It is a pleasure to have such a beautiful building. We were hoping. We were anticipating. We were praying to have a building like this. Now, we have received it and we just want to say thanks to all the donors involved and all the volunteers,” she said.

Chas E Ramson Limited, distributors of Kisko products in Jamaica, have pledged to place Kinloss Infant on their feeding programme for a year to provide the school with a monthly supply of Foska Oats products.

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For more information, please contact:
Ainsworth Morris, PROComm. Tel: 926-6740 or 375-6136
Petri-Ann Henry, Public Relations Officer, Food For The Poor Jamaica. Cell: 564-2886

NEW CLASSROOMS FOR KINLOSS PRIMARY & INFANT SCHOOL: Mark Josephs, President of Kisko Products, Canada, the primary donors for the expansion of Kinloss Primary & Infant School in Trelawny and his wife Shelly (centre), were happy to join in a group photo with representatives of the school and construction team at the start of the new building for the school. Sharing in the moment were (from left): George Dickens, Food For The Poor’s Contractor; Telka Holt, Board Chairman of Kinloss Primary and Infant School; Jacqueline Shirley, Principal and Kenyatta Lumsden, Education Officer.

READY FOR ACTION! Volunteers from Kisko Products Incorporated share a moment with children from the community of Kinloss District in Trelawny before assisting with the construction of three new classrooms for Kinloss Primary & Infant School.

CONSTRUCTING KINLOSS’ INFANT DEPARTMENT: Donors and volunteers from Kisko Products and Food For The Poor at work constructing the new building for Kinloss Primary & Infant School recently.

EXPRESSING OUR GRATITUDE TO FOOD FOR THE POOR: Students of Kinloss Primary & Infant School located in Clarks Town, Trelawny performing a cultural item during the handing over ceremony for a new building on August 19.

CUTTING THE RIBBON: Representatives of donors, Kisko, join the principal of kinloss Primary & Infant School Jacqueline Shirley (center) and others for the cutting of the ribbon to officially open the new school building. Sharing in the moment are (from left): Karlene Segree, Senior Education Officer; Shelly Josephs, donor representative and Telka Holt, chairman of the school board.

NEW BUILDING FOR KINLOSS HANDED OVER: Participating in the plaque unveiling for the new building for Kinloss Primary & Infant School are (from right): Mark Josephs, President of Kisko Products Incorporated; his mother, Glenor Josephs; Jaqueline Shirley, Principal of the School,; Telka Holt, School Board Chairman and Karlene Segree, Senior Education Officer for Region Six.

THANK YOU, KISKO! Students of Kinloss Primary & Infant School located in Clarks Town, Trelawny enjoying Kisko products which were distributed to all the children after the handing over ceremony for the new building for the school.

THE JOSEPHS FAMILY, PROUD FFP DONORS: Members of the Josephs family, owners of Kisko Products Incorporated and proud donors to Food For The Poor stand along the corridor of the new school building they helped to construct.