We are excited to share that over 1,400 students continue to receive nutritious lunches for the entire school year!
Each and every day, the Jamaica School Feeding program provides 1,400 infant and primary students with a hot meal that helps them stay energized and focused on their schoolwork. There are 25 schools participating in the program, each with kitchens that are now stocked with items such as cornmeal, chicken sausages, corned beef, and tin mackerel.
These items allow school cooks to get creative with the meals they prepare. These can include cornmeal porridge, rice and peas, mackerel and dumpling, red peas soup, and even macaroni and cheese with sausage.
When children have regular access to balanced meals, they have a better chance to succeed in school.
Spotlight: Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Centre
The gift of daily school meals has helped staff at Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Centre immensely. They no longer have to spend too much money on groceries at the supermarket, saving them at least half of what they usually would spend, and they are able to offer help and support to parents and children who are less fortunate.
STORY:
“Things were very difficult because there are so many children who have outstanding lunch monies because their parents have it really hard; however, they still managed to get their warm meals daily. Things are very expensive at the stores and we had several issues as to how we would maintain the canteen for the school term and pay the cook’s salary monthly, with such high supermarket bills each month. Then, God heard my prayers and stepped in with the support from this wonderful donor. This has helped us big time to cut the cost on some items that we won’t have to purchase anymore.” – Mrs. Tanisha Smith-Thompson, Principal of Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Centre