Feeding Programme Category: Diaconal

INTRODUCTION

Feeding Programme for the aged and needy schools, including call-in age home, providing medical, physical care, food through the church and their respective congregation like donors at Trinity Moravian(50 persons), Covenant(60 persons), Redeemer(35 persons) Golden Aged Home (25 persons), Mizpah Primary (100 student) and Nazareth All Age, Lititz Primary and Ferguson Primary Schools in Manchester.

Various studies have shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides us energy and improves our concentration for our day’s activities. However, for children living in extreme poverty, breakfast can be their one and only meal. A meal that can define if they will survive or not. This is a heartbreaking reality that Unitas of Jamaica is aiming to change. Through our Feeding Programs, we want to provide a delicious and nutritious meal to children to help decrease the incidence of malnourishment. 

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The cases are needy and worthy of our help. It is the church’s mission to help the helpless and the cost is minimal. The Government of Jamaica has a school feeding programme however this is primarily to provide lunches to children three day per week. The educational achievement has a direct correlation with nutrition and as such breakfast is important.

Some schools have breakfast programmes which are funded by private persons or however we think this should be a service in all schools.

UNITAS through the green house farm will partner with the four schools in Manchester and the local communities for the sustainability of the project through the continuation of school gardens. From the Trinity, Redeemer and Covenant feeding programmes, we expect to provide hot meals on Saturday or any other day of the week for these people.

The meals will be arranged by a nutritionist, cooked by volunteers and served by volunteers from the Moravian Women’s Fellowship organisation. These meals are free and every day that a hot meal is served it is preceded by devotional service conducted by the Minister, youth group and or an elder.

Execution of the project

Administrative line of operations has specific guidelines to follow in order to ensure proper and coordinated functioning and monitoring. With the congregational feeding and medical program the public health inspector and certain officers from the congregation monitor the activities of the programme and where there are anomalies the Women’s Fellowship take remedial action.

Financial aspects are monitored by the stewards’ board that provide the reporting and monitoring. We believe this plan is a fair compromise between fairness and expedience, and meets the commitments of our mission statement. We want the project to stay lean and flexible so that we can respond to our communities needs quickly. As we expand and increase in size we do expect to increase our personnel to include honey expertise along with the Unitas green house farm.