Dara Robinson Feeding Programme on Life Support

Joel Dara Robison

Is the ‘Dara Feeding Programme’ closing its doors after thirteen years?  Not just yet – that is, if Joel Dara Robinson gets his way.  The local philanthropist says that his feeding programme is on life support and is in serious need of a boost. According to Robinson, he can no longer maintain the programme because donations have all, but stopped and support for fundraising efforts has dwindled over the past few years. Robinson called the media out to his house in Belize City just before lunch time today to show what happens behind the scene and to make a last pitch to the business community and the wider public for help to make the programme sustainable.  Our reporter Andrea Polanco joined Robinson and other reporters today to learn more about the programme and how you can help. The feeding programme beneficiaries are all minors, so to protect their identities we have refrained from showing their faces. Here’s the story.

Joel Dara Robison, Founder, Dara Feeding Programme

“My feeding programme deh pon life support.”

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Dara Robinson says he’s struggling to keep his feeding program afloat.

Joel “Dara” Robison

“I the get glorified, my name and my programme, but basically me and my wife from day to day buck to keep this up. I nuh know how to explain because the kids deh come and I have to provide.”

As many as fifty students from nearby schools visit Dara’s house where they get a hot meal and cold drink everyday five days a week. For many of these children, this is the only meal they will get for the entire day. The programme has been running for thirteen years but sponsorship has dried up. Robinson says he can’t fund the programme anymore and he needs some help to make it sustainable. While he doesn’t want to beg for help, he’s desperate to keep it alive and wants the business community and public to chip in.

Joel “Dara” Robison

“I tried all kind of fundraising and try all kinda way to do it without going out there begging for a dollar but it seems that I have to come up with a next idea to seek funding for the feeding programme. I nuh bitter but I feel wah lee anger inna me because dah something weh dah my life story and I know what it is like to get a meal dah afternoon. But the business place and the people weh could support nuh really know weh the happen with the feeding programme.”

So, for the public to see, Robinson invited the media to get a first-hand look at the feeding programme operations. Robinson and his wife Melonie prepare the food in his kitchen and then take it out to this outdoor shed. Here each student signs in before he or she receives a meal. Today, the menu is spaghetti. The students eagerly line up to get their meal and then they sit on picnic style tables to have lunch. When meal time is over, the older students help out with their dishes. But according to Dara Robinson, what these children don’t know is that today’s lunch is the last meal he can prepare because his pantry and freezer are empty.

Joel “Dara” Robison

“I use the last ten pound of grind steak.”

Reporter

“That’s it?”

Joel “Dara” Robison

“That’s it and I the be honest. I use the last ten pound of grind steak that we cooked today with spaghetti. For this week, I mi wah tell the kids that we wah close for right now and see what the fundraising wah bring. That is the level I mi the look to deal with this week yah.”

Robinson says that it pains him to see the lights go out on his programme, so he is fighting to keep it alive because it means a lot to the children.

Joel “Dara” Robison

“We nuh know the situation of lotta the pickney. You might see them dressed up and look nice going to school but Jah knows some of them behind the scene.  When the kids come you will see how they light up and go on; they fight for position who wah get serve first and so on. We even have kids here with behavioural problems and so on. This is more than feed pickney I deal with. Kids come here needing footwear; things for school and everything they come to me for as a father figure.  It’s a tough battle, you understand, and I really want to champion it because I know the importance of it and I know deh benefit from it because I was inna this situation. I think I dah wah shining light fi mek this continue so that everybody know the importance of giving a meal to a child dah afternoon.”

Over the years, Dara Robinson has led countless fundraising efforts to support the feeding programme but today he revealed that many of the events didn’t raise the monies they were hoping for, so he has had to take money out of his own pockets. Added to that, he says that support for those events has waned over the years. So, how can you help Dara to keep this feeding programme alive? Volunteers and donations, as well as some financial assistance are needed because it takes roughly three thousand dollars a month to keep this programme running.

Joel “Dara” Robison

“We never refuse anything in food. Normally people give rice, flour, beans; anything for the kitchen; seasonings. We even accept meat stuff like chicken, beef, different things. I always tell people that you could give me a container of food but to prepare that food; cook it; bring out here and your stove the burn and bills the go up. So, you need finance to keep up with deh thing deh. A programme like this run me almost three thousand dollars a month and that doesn’t include my light bill and water the go up because those kids use toilet and we wash up every day.”

If you want to keep the Dara Feeding Program alive, you can call 623-3662 for more information. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.