Multimillion-dollar boost for school-feeding programme
RESTAURANTS OF Jamaica has provided $4.5 million to further boost the operations of the Government’s national school-feeding programme, which will supply an additional 1,500 meals for students.
The funds will facilitate the provision of meals for the remainder of the academic year, which ends in June 2018.
The money was officially handed over to Nutrition Products Limited during a ceremony at the National Heroes Circle offices of the education ministr y on Wednesday.
Portfolio Minister Ruel Reid welcomed the donation, noting that it will significantly help to fill gaps in the feeding programme, particularly at the early-childhood level.
He noted that the initiative, which represents good corporate citizenship, will go a far way i n advancing the ministr y ’s effor t to provide greater support to students in need of nutritious meals, many of whom depend on the State to provide the only substantial meal they receive daily.
The minister said this partnership will ensure that more children attending school are provided with the appropriate nutrition that will improve their educational outcomes.
WORTHY CONTRIBUTION
State Minister Floyd Green noted that the ministry has been working to expand the scope of the programme, by increasing the number of products that are provided in the system.
Marketing Director for Restaurants of Jamaica, Tina Matalon, said the entity’s support to the school-feeding programme is “a small but worthy contribution, which will make a difference in providing the nutrition that children need”.
“We don’t think any child should go to school hungry. We do believe that all children need proper nutrition and proper meals to be able to learn. As an organisation that feeds the nation, we want to make sure we do our part to feed the students,” she said.
Matalon further informed that this support represents the first step in the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Jamaica ‘Add Hope’ initiative.
Add Hope is an international initiative by KFC’s parent company, Yum International, which collects donations in-store to fund meals for undernourished children.