Today there was very good reason for the over two hundred children at Calvary Temple Primary School to celebrate. Just four months after Lifeline Foundation presented a cheque for the construction of a cafeteria and brand new kitchen both were inaugurated today. That means that as of Wednesday the students who may have gone hungry for months because they simply do not have the money to buy a meal will now be able to eat well and healthy for a minimal fee of one dollar.
Verna Jenkins, Principal
“Well I am very happy that our dream has become a reality because this will enable us to make sure that our children have a hot meal each day.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How many children will be benefiting from this cafeteria?
Verna Jenkins,
“Well we have a total of 225 children so as many of them that don’t need to go home, they will benefit.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
I know for one year the Lifeline Foundation will be assisting the cafeteria
in terms of making sure there is food to feed the children but after a year how does the school plan to sustain the cafeteria to keep it running?
Verna Jenkins,
“Usually the children, those who can afford it, would pay $1 for their meal. We intend to put this money one side so that when we are left on our own we can turn that money over to buy the supplies we need for them.”
Kim Simplis, Founder/Director - Lifeline Foundation
“We are extremely happy Jackie. It was as you know, you’ve been here with us since we first started this project and it was a lot of hard work, a lot of us didn’t have a summer vacation because we were overseeing the project and making sure that this becomes a reality by September. Our goal was to have it by September.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
What do you think about the kitchen upstairs?
Verna Jenkins,
“It’s wonderful. It has been equipped with the stove, the refridge, they have bought all the plates, the cups, the spoons, the pots. So it is well equipped so we can start providing hot meals for our kids.”
Kim Simplis,
“We will be supplying the school with a year for the feeding program and we are also doing six months of supplying them with items for their snack shop. They will be saving that money from the snack shop so that when our feeding program is done they can then go into the snack shop money and be able to continue with the feeding program. Our objective is to try to make the feeding program as sustainable as possible. I know that for some schools it is really difficult because the kids they don’t have money even to buy an ideal but we’re trying and we’re doing everything we possibly can to make sure that this continues.”
The cafeteria is valued at fourteen thousand, five hundred dollars. The construction was made possible through the contribution of Lifeline Foundation, Atlantic Bank and Brother’s Habet. Lifeline Foundation is a non charity trust geared towards raising money to benefit children who are in need of assistance.
