Hope comes to Albion!
Hilton Rose Hall Gives Homeless shelter massive boost
Refuge of Hope, a homeless shelter located in the inner-city community of Albion, Montego Bay has been given a much needed boost courtesy of Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, St. James. According to Charmaine Deane, the hotel’s Area Director of Marketing and Communications, what started out as a normal if not casual assessment visit to the Refuge of Hope facility would end up being one of those emotional yet fulfilling experiences that “none of us will ever forget”. “Prior to the start of the new year, the shelter had been earmarked as one of our four community outreach projects, where our staff members would be given the opportunity to do something special for a facility that was providing a roof over the heads of the poor less fortunate and homeless,” Deane revealed. “So off we went on that morning of February 13, 2019, to do our routine assessment and to take note of what it will take to make our mark in what we felt at best would be a much needed and well received community project. And boy were we in for some kind of awakening.” Deane said that from the outset it became crystal clear to the Hilton team members that there were a number of things that would require special if not urgent attention. She added that an assessment was quickly made that in addition to the obvious infrastructural challenges, the facility was also in need of medical aid for the mentally ill, assistance for those living with injuries, and a consistent and sustainable source of food for all the occupants. She said it was also obvious that the facility was badly in need of operational tools to meet its day to day functions –tools such as: a washing machine, a deep freezer, a refrigerator; weedwacker to keep the grounds in check; male and female clothing; sheets; towels; pillow cases, rags, non-perishable items, kitchen ware, chairs, cooking utensils among other items. “The team also discovered something that warmed our hearts. We also realized that as part of their feeding programme and as a means of sourcing additional revenue, the Refuge of Hope shelter for the homeless had what our old folks would call a chicken pen where chickens were raised to either be sold or for consumption,” Deane further noted. “We knew we had to get on board…we knew this was the beginning of something special. And so, right there and then, a new partnership was born!” On March 29, less than two months after their initial visit, over 40 associates from all levels from the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa descended again on the Refuge of Hope, with both a mission and a clear sense of purpose. Having already determined that the infrastructural work to be done at the facility would include plumbing, electrical work, housekeeping, painting, tiling and landscaping, the team pulled together a group of engineers, painters, tilers, housekeepers, landscapers, and just about any volunteer who wanted to be a part of “this most worthy of initiatives”. Deane noted that the initial plan was to spend about two hours but that was quickly shelved and extended well into the afternoon as “the camaraderie and the need to make a difference kept us going.” To say the day was a success might well be qualified as the understatement of the year. Before it was over, they also had donations in the form of linen, non-perishable items, female and male clothing, shoes, and kitchen equipment. And if that was not enough, we also got going “a pop up barber shop” with the intention of grooming the occupants of the facility. No person or area was left untouched. She said The Hilton Rose Hall & Spa’s Food and Beverage team, clearly moved by the occasion, also raised funds for the purchasing of a washing machine which “brought tears” to the management, staff and occupants of the shelter. The team plan to visit the facility as least once per quarter to provide continued support. Advt.