Macka Diamond brings Christmas cheer to the homeless

Dancehall artiste Macka Diamond has gained some new fans after spreading Christmas cheer to the homeless on Sunday.

While others were having dinner with family and friends, the Money Oh artiste decided to share her food with the homeless.

Speaking with THE STAR, the entertainer revealed that sharing her dinner with those less fortunate is something she does every year, but explained that it was the first time she was sharing with the homeless.

“This is not my first time doing this, but this one is the first street one,” she explained. “I usually do it with churches and I did it with the blind school one year. I know a lot of people don’t have anything and I want to go out in the streets and make them happy.”

She revealed that on the day, she and her team gave away more than 200 boxed dinners to the homeless and that the response was so overwhelming they ran out of food before they could get to all the places they wanted.

“We started from Portmore and then we went to Spanish Town. We wanted to actually go downtown too, but by the time we got to Spanish Town, there were so many people, and it turned into such a nice vibe that we ended up staying in Spanish Town.”

PUBLICITY STUNT

While many fans praised the entertainer for yielding to the spirit of giving during the holidays, some blasted the singer for using the moment as a publicity stunt.

But the artiste, who posted videos of herself handing out food, assured fans that she was not doing it for a show.

“I decided to share it on social media because I don’t think it’s anything negative or wrong,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for years. A lot of people are home sharing with friends and family and giving gifts. Well, this is my gift for Christmas ... and the gift that I received was to see the look on their faces. They were so thankful and appreciative.”

The entertainer said she was so moved by how much the people enjoyed the moment that she and partner, reggae artiste Sample Kid, are thinking about doing the food drive more often.

“I’m going to deal with it the right way next time. I didn’t have much time to link with them, so I decided to take the chance and just do it. I know something about what is to be done, but I didn’t know where to go. I am going to take it more seriously and follow the right procedure,” she assured.

Over the years, for hygienic reasons, the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation has had to issue cease and desist orders as it relates to feeding the homeless on the streets.

There is, however, a central location on 65 Hanover Street, downtown Kingston, where the homeless go for meals, a shower and a place to sleep when they need it.

Persons who wish to assist the homeless are urged to get in touch with the offices so that arrangements can be made to assist in the process.