Jamaica Broilers on Wednesday brought joy to the faces of teachers and principals, as well as parents from several communities the company operates in, as a team came bearing gift.
Beginning at Free Town Primary, the team went on to Spring Garden All-Age, Spring Village Development Foundation, McCooks Pen Community and McCooks Pen Primary. Presentations were made, with each tablet preloaded with data for one month so each student will have immediate connectivity.
Sheldon Davis, manager, Best Dressed Feed Mill, and Danah Cameron, group public relations manager, Jamaica Broliers were on location at Free Town Primary where 15 tablets were presented.
Davis, who was instrumental in recommending the tablets for the school, said it had been months of organizing between himself and the projects committee from the school.
“What had happened is that just prior to COVID they reached out to us because of some other needs that concerned the students and lunches and so on, but COVID hit and changed things significantly, and right away classrooms changed, interactions changed, and so we decided to change our approach on how to help the students,” he shared.
That help turned out to be the much-needed tablets for students of the school.
Principal of the school, Denise Moodie, in expressing gratitude, said that even though they had got 73 tablets from the Ministry of Education, it still had not been enough to take care of the students in need.
Grateful for tablets
The additional tablets, she said, will benefit a few of the students who are preparing for the Primary Exit Profile examination and are still without gadgets.
Commenting on the selection process, Cameron said that discussion with principals from various schools revealed that most teachers had received devices from the Government, but that a few newer to the system were still going without. Students’ online participation varied widely across communities with few students being fortunate to have their own device.
“With the help of principals, teachers and community leaders, we have been able to identify students who are among those most in need. We are grateful to our partners at Cargill Ocean Transportation who have joined with us in meeting the needs of our community over the past year,” said Cameron, who highlighted that the company has a reputation for giving back to its neighbours, and throughout the pandemic has been in touch with schools and community representatives assessing the needs on the ground and assisting the most vulnerable.
Acknowledging that Jamaica Broilers, like other businesses, took their share of hit from the effects of the pandemic, she said they have not lost heart, but still hold firm to faith in God as the main thing is “impacting, connecting and changing lives”.
