Fay Ferguson is a monthly donor with Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC). This started during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fay remembers seeing a social media post of people in Jamaica receiving care packages from FFPC donors. It sparked her interest to learn more and to sign up to help as a monthly donor. She says that FFPC is “right where my heart is.”
Growing Up In Jamaica
Spanish Town, Jamaica is where Fay hails from. She came to Canada as an adult in 1972. But, Fay says she has, and always will, miss Jamaica. She remembers those early days growing up in Spanish Town. Her family had a decent life, she recounts, and they had food, shelter, clothing and an education.
Fay believes that Jamaica’s “resource is our people, especially children. We have to educate our children to give them the resources for success and challenges as they grow into adults. It will give them jobs, careers and an income to have a good life which they can carry forward to their offsprings. Education for these little children is so important.”
She is glad that FFPC is building schools and housing and believes that this is the “best thing for our nation.”
Growing up, Fay shared, “my parents used to give us money to put in the collection box for the church. No matter how things were at home, we always received a penny to put in the church collection. It’s good learning. It teaches one to give. Even when you don’t have enough, you can help.” It is from here that Fay says her generosity comes. The example her parents set, and from going to church on a regular basis.
Giving Monthly to Food For the Poor
Giving on a monthly basis to Food For The Poor is Fay’s preference. This is because she likes giving in smaller amounts and finds it easier to give back that way. And, she knows she is giving back to the country that will continue to have her heart.
Through writing, Fay has also found another creative way to give back to FFPC. Writing is a love that started when she was a little girl in a Jamaican classroom. “When I was eleven years old, I started to write poems about my pets,” she says. “My uncle would bring these note books that were 4 inches by 4 inches in pastel pages of pink, blue, green and yellow.” She started writing books again in the early nineties, then during the Covid-19 pandemic she wrote her first novel, Beyond Abuse. Her recent book takes its inspiration from her mother, a 6th generation Jamaican. She says the novel is “based on the anecdotes my mother used to tell with added fiction. She underwent certain abuses and faced much adversity. But through sheer resilience she was able to overcome them.” Fay says her mother became as bold as brass. The book itself touches on Jamaican history. It focuses on colonial times, slavery and how it affected Jamaican families and life in general. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of her books will go to FFPC. You can learn more about Fay’s book here: www.beyondabusebook.com
Learn more about becoming a monthly donor to Food For The Poor Canada here
