Wisynco recently donated products to the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) in support of the Council’s ‘Tek It to Dem’ campaign. The initiative focuses on reaching, testing and counseling the homeless and other high-risk populations in Kingston, St Ann and St James.

The donation was made at the NCDA’s headquarters on March 30, 2021, which totaled 165 cases or 4,500 bottles, including Wisynco’s popular water brand, WATA. Beverage brands, BIGGA, Freshhh, Squeezz and TruSHAKE – the latter being the company’s first milk-based product under its associate company Trade Winds Citrus – were also part of the donation.

NCDA Executive Director Michael Tucker was happy that Wisynco reached out to the Council to find out how it could provide support

“We hope other companies will take a proactive approach to supporting the less fortunate,” Tucker said.

“Research has shown that there is a strong link between drug use and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) including HIV. In 2010, it was found that 12 per cent of the homeless population was HIV positive and 59 per cent of them used substances. The ‘Tek It to Dem’ campaign is designed to address these issues as it provides much-needed support to these at-risk groups that do not have as much access to food, healthcare and other essential services.”

Wisynco Marketing Coordinator Monique Kerr said: “We were looking for ways to do more for those less fortunate – especially during this time when access to essential services has been limited for the homeless and other at-risk groups due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We reached out to Executive Director Tucker and his team at the National Council for Drug Abuse and they suggested that we support their ‘Tek It to Dem’ Campaign and so we were happy to support.”

The products were served along with meals during the Council’s feeding programmes held on April 1 and April 6.