Challenges stall food bank opening
(CNS): Plans to have a local food bank cooking and delivering food through local charities up and running by now have been derailed due to a number of challenges, organisers have said. Pastor Charles Boucher said that since the launch of The Good Samaritan, the Cayman Islands food bank, things have come a long way, and with the warehouse in the last stages of the fit-out, the hope is that the facility will be ready for Christmas. “We had all sorts of issues in the process but we believe that for the Holiday season we should be in operation for the preparation of the Christmas baskets,” Boucher said.
The goal of The Good Samaritan is to supply dried goods to food pantries and local charities, and also to cook the food from supermarkets that would have gone to waste and pass that on to non-profits and social service organisations, such as Meals On Wheels, so they can feed their clients.
In an email circulating the food bank’s first newsletter, Boucher said the last remaining work at the warehouse is the installation of the air-conditioning and final plumbing work. The charity is also in desperate need of fridges and freezers in good working order and is asking anyone in the community who can donate to contact them at info@caymanfoodbank.com.
Boucher and local businessmen, Choppy Delapenha and Woody Foster, launched the food bank project idea in July, with the goal of helping hundreds of families in time for the start of this school year, but the ambitious project seems to have hit some unspecified hurdles.
Category: Community, Local News
About 10 years ago I called into the government talk radio program suggesting the private sector and churches set up food banks for needy families. The idea was ridiculed by the host whose name I will withhold saying that Caymanians are too proud to accept charity. Hungry children overcome pride.
food banks only work on the premise of taxes. Stores give away food, that is either cans dented or almost expired ect. And get a tax write off. No grocery store here is going to give away free food. There is no incentive. Why do you think major grocery stores have buffets? Buffets here work by cooking almost or expired food. So they can quickly cook the expired food and sell it at a premium cost. And they actually gain money instead of throwing the food away.
In a country that taxes. almost expired or expired food is thrown away, and the store gets tax credits for the lost food. From the government.
A very good idea. To the point though, as long as you have to go through the planning department, the requirements will constantly increase and the project will cost a fortune. That is one useless section of government that needs an over- haul.
I wish you patience, endurance and hope for your project.
Good intentions. but a blasted shame this is even needed in the smallest and richest Caribbean country. No way!
There are always persons willing to accept something for nothing. Much easier than making the effort to provide for yourself.
Richest Caribbean country? Is this for real! If so be the case why has the Island become such a depraved society. Beggars everywhere , robbing and stealing, social issues to the max, Caymanians leaving for a better life, NAU overwhelming, banks taking away properties right and left, mothers stealing to feed their children and the list goes on and on. Where are the riches?
Who is to be blame ? For a crime free Island and Jewel of the Caribbean its very disheartening to know Cayman has to resort to a food bank. Anyway those days are gone , put down pride and flow with the tide, Such a pity!!!!!!!!
It is always the same, does not matter what country. The sins of the parents are passed on to the children (notice I didn’t say father’s sin because most of these people had no dad) The ignorant and lazy, find sex and babies easily and then pass the culture of dependence to a larger next generation. So sad, how do you stop it. It is beyond me.
Do what is required to stop reproduction and there will be less reliance on government to provide for future menaces to society.
10:46pm the reason being, we have imported poverty. Why give status to those who are our future liability? You see it and understand it day after day. CFS is assisting those who should be able to help themselves, while those who need the assistance are left out of the loop. Too many encouraged to produce, and not work to provide for themselves. Assist the needy, not the greedy.