Members of the Kiwanis Club of Barbados North.
THE ensuing COVID-19 pandemic may have put a spoke in the wheel of plans of many NGOs, and despite the drastic changes caused by the pandemic, the Kiwanis Club of Barbados North was able to meet their goals for 2020.
President of the Club, Angela Goodridge, noted that the coronavirus has shown the resilience and innovations of the club’s members as many of them were still reaching out to care for people in their communities in various parishes.
“The Kiwanis Club of Barbados North has responded to this situation in meaningful ways by assisting some of those affected living within its catchment area,” she said.
She reported that in October of 2020, the start of the Kiwanis New Year, the members participated in a beach cleanup at Lakes Beach, St. Andrew, under a project sponsored by the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) where 20 bags of non-degradable materials were collected, weighed and recorded by the organisation.
A second beach cleanup happened in November to complete the work started on the stretch of beach from Barclays Park to Long Pond, St. Andrew, and this effort was supported by the Lions Club Scotland District and the National Conservation Commission.
Goodridge highlighted that December was truly a busy month for the club as they took part in the distribution of 21 food hampers and 10 non-food hampers to needy families in the northern parishes and to the HIV/AIDS Food Bank.
They also prepared and distributed 22 lunches on Christmas Day and the members of the Club made significant contributions towards this project. The President noted that the Belleplaine Seventh-Day Adventist Church and WESTGAM were also central to the distribution of these lunches as well as to the distribution of the food and non-food hampers.
On 23 December 2020, the Club made a presentation of materials to the Elayne Scantlebury Centre including cushions, olive oil, alcohol, anti-perspirant spray, cookies and biscuits. These items were included in a list provided by the Centre as critical to improved client care. Club members made a major contribution to the project that was supported by Pharmacy Sales Caribbean Inc. The Club will continue to pursue access to the other items on the list.
Finally, she noted that the Club made a donation of two work stations to two students of the Alleyne School who were former members of the St. Bernard Primary School K-Kids Club, which is the Junior School level of Kiwanis.