On December 23rd 2011, the Optimist Club of Anguilla was contacted by a visitor to the island (guest at one of our leading hotels). The visitor, who has frequentedAnguillaand wishes to remain anonymous, wanted to make donations of food and toiletries to needy families on the island, all in the spirit of Christmas. What may have seemed like a daunting task, for most, was a welcomed challenge by the Optimist Club of Anguilla and notably Food Drive Coordinator Optimist Emma Ferguson who went to work immediately. Showing her true optimistic spirit, she contacted the Department of Social Development to garner names of individuals and families in need.
Armed with a target number, she went shopping. Showing good faith in the cause, Merchant’s Market and Ashley & Sons Supermarket responded to Optimist Emma and the visitor, and in some cases allowed them to purchase close to US $3000.00 on credit. The next task was finding a location where the food and toiletries could be separated and put into packages for distribution. Albert Peters ofPetersAgencycame to the rescue. Not only did he allow the club to use his office for organization and distribution, he also assisted in the transportation of food from stores.
Optimist members and friends gathered at the Caribbean Commercial Centre and created packages for distribution. From 12:00 pm – 6:30 pm, persons were invited to come to collect parcels. The parcels included sugar, flour, rice, tinned and fresh vegetables, water, Capri-sun juices, dish washing liquid, Clorox bleach, toilet paper and soap. Starting with a list of 40 names, Optimist members distributed 48 full packages and several smaller parcels for a total of 62 packages. Impressed with what the club was able to achieve in a day, the visitor committed to give another US$10,000 to the club to do further work.
The second stage of theFood Drivetook place on Thursday, 02 February 2012 in collaboration with AXA Cares Food Bank. This initiative was identified as one means of using the funds as they already have a system in place to indentify and cater to the needs of vulnerable families. Food items purchased, valued at close to US$4,000, were handed over to organizers of the AXA Cares Food Bank by the Optimist Club of Anguilla. In addition, thirteen other families who were not identified by AXA Cares were also given gifts of food by the Optimist Club. The shopping was done at Merchant’s Market, Ashley and Sons,Lake’s Market Place and J W Proctors.
The Optimist Club of Anguilla is a not for profit organization whose motto is ‘Friend of Youth.’ The Club would like to thank the generous donor for his financial gift which has so far amounted to close to 20,000US dollars and has benefitted numerous vulnerable families inAnguilla. We are also grateful for the cooperation of the mentioned supermarkets which assisted in the success of the Food Drives.
– Press Release
