Needy students get help from Wolmer’s Boys’ Key Club

WOLMER’S BOYS’ School Key Club has donated the proceeds from a collection drive of canned food, bottled water, toiletries and non-perishable food items to the school’s needy students.

Club President Tariq Wright told The Gleaner that a number of his peers have been significantly affected by the i mpact of COVID-19.

“Many of their families have been struggling to put food on the table. We just wanted to give back to them, so they can have a better experience learning online,” he said.

INCOME LOSSES

A study published by UNICEF and the Caribbean Policy Research Institute in September 2020 found that eight in every 10 households suffered income losses.

It also reported that 44 per cent of Jamaican families have experienced food shortages, a direct correlation to income loss.

Wright shared that the collection drive began in December, and the club has handed over the items at the end of each month.

“This donation will benefit about 25 students, and we are hoping to grow this initiative. This time around, we collected about 200 tins of food - tuna, beans, mackerel and sardines, among other items.”

The club’s president added that students were very willing to give and, so far, the beneficiaries have been receptive to the aid.

“A lot of the students we’re helping, they would have been benefiting from proper meals through PATH [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] had school been open, so they have been welcoming,” Wright said.

Key Club faculty adviser Christopher Humber said about a quarter of the school’s population falls in the needy category.

“It is a well-needed donation, knowing that now, during the pandemic, some of the students are not getting the required amount of meals for the day. We thought it was necessary to partner with the guidance department to get them non-perishable items that they or their parents can prepare at home,” Humber said.

He added that as adviser, he would push for the continuation of the drive, even after the pandemic, as the need was evident.

PHOTOGRAPHER NICHOLAS NUNES/ Deon Williams (left), Wolmer’s Boys’ School guidance counsellor, receives care packages from Tariq Wright, the president, and other executive members of the club at the school last week.