Negril residents get help amid COVID challenge
MAUREEN FORDE has been strapped for cash; father-of-five Donovan Bruce has been out of work since the start of the pandemic; and Richard Wallace is keen on ensuring his constituents are fed in a time of crisis.
Forde, whose bar has been closed as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, and Bruce, whose offspring includes three university students, were among the 1,500 residents of Negril, Westmoreland, who benefited from care packages distributed by Wallace and his team at the Negril Chamber of Commerce last Thursday.
The partnership between the chamber, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Tourism Linkages Network saw residents turning out from as early as 5 a.m. for basic food items, including canned meats and beans, fresh vegetables and condiments.
The recipients were mainly persons within the tourism belt who are not formally employed.
“There are many persons who don’t have anything to eat, so this is a very good thing. I thank everybody who put this package together to help people, because they are suffering,” Bruce told The Gleaner. For Forde, “Nothing going on for me right now, so I was glad to come out this morning and collect my little grocery”.
Satisfied that a dent had been made in the hardship being experienced by the thousands out of work, Wallace, who is president of the chamber, said there was general cooperation of the residents, who readily presented their government ID cards and donned their masks, as required.
“We had a few issues with physical distancing, posed by some overly anxious persons, many of whom arrived at the venue several hours before the scheduled 10 a.m. start time, but we formed a line for the elderly and served them first.”
“The chamber realised that due to the shutdown of the tourism industry, a lot of people are struggling. So what we decided to do was a food-package drive. We reached out to the TEF and they had a similar programme doing, so we collaborated.”
“Everybody is hurting now,” he explained, adding that the intention was that nobody leaves empty-handed.
Wallace expects to do this project every two weeks, as long as he gets the funding and the support. “Because we don’t know how long this pandemic is going to last and how long the tourism sector is gonna be closed down,” he said.
On hand participating in the execution of the initiative was Executive Director of the TEF, Dr Carey Wallace, who revealed that this was part of the TEF’s $15-million care package distribution project for the island’s resort areas, with approximately $3 million being spent in Negril.
“When you look at tourism, the people are a crucial part of it and in a pandemic, we are trying to protect that product. This is our gesture to ensure our people are fed and are being looked after. Negril, in particular, is impacted greatly because of the number of small properties and small businesses here,” Dr Wallace explained.