Kingston’s homeless receive 6,000-plus meals during lockdown, mayor reports
/ Our Today
administrator
The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) issued more than 6,000 meals to members of the homeless population during the Easter holidays lockdown, Kingston Mayor Delroy Williams reported a short while ago.
Williams, in a statement from the KSAMC, said the municipal corporation’s Poor Relief Department, along with support from councillors, corporate Jamaica, volunteers and various church groups, prepared and distributed breakfast and lunch each day despite the restrictions.
The statement comes a week after a dispute between the KSAMC and Television Jamaica (TVJ), after a news report was aired claiming the homeless had been left unfed during the first weekend lockdown.
The KSAMC had declared the news story untrue, but TVJ stood by its reporting on the experience of individual members of the homeless community.
“They may be homeless, but they are still our neighbours and the council has continued to implement measures to secure their nutrition and improve their safety thanks to the work of our parent ministry and partners.”
Delroy Williams, mayor of Kingston
Today (April 6), Williams said Kingston had become “a much more caring city with greater thought being given to the vulnerable groups” and that the KSAMC was achieving this with the help of private entities who also help to feed the less fortunate.
“They may be homeless, but they are still our neighbours and the council has continued to implement measures to secure their nutrition and improve their safety thanks to the work of our parent ministry and partners,” Williams said.
The KSAMC said it now operates a daily soup kitchen offering 600 breakfasts and 600 lunches daily to the homeless across the city, totalling 1,200 meals per day.
A temporary shelter was also constructed at Church Street to shelter additional homeless persons since the start of the pandemic. A transitional facility is currently under construction at King Street, which is expected to provide additional support and shelter to over 100 homeless persons once completed.
Williams said he was grateful to KSAMC staff and volunteers who used their holidays to ensure this programme was continued.
The mayor urged other ‘Good Samaritans’ to ensure that they coordinate with the local authority when considering to launch feeding programmes.
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