Indian Community Gives Back to Needy Families
The Indian community has been extending generosity to those families who have less and are hurting during this COVID-19 crisis. Today, the community reached out to the Port Loyola residents with packages containing basic items necessary to put food on the table for many families. The standard bearers of both political parties, Gilroy Usher Senior and Phillip Willoughby, were on hand to receive the donations. Here is Hipolito Novelo with a report.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
The Indian community in Belize is rendering assistance to families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dinesh Bhojwani says that two thousand food packages containing basic food items valued a total of eighty thousand dollars are being distributed throughout the constituencies in Belize City.
Dinesh Bhojwani
Dinesh Bhojwani, Representative, Belize Indian Community
“The entire project is two thousand coupons which has a valued of eighty thousand dollars. Each package has your essentials, you staples, rice, flour, sugar, beans, cereal, oats, all these different things. We have put toilet paper in there. It is a good package for a family to get through it for a certain amount of time. We have the product and we have the wherewithal to do it. What we didn’t have was the logistics to get it out though the city. So we got together and decided let’s work with area representative, standard bearers within the different constituencies within the city.”
Today, vouchers were given handed over to the political leaders of Port Loyola. The U.D.P.’s Standard Bearer Phillip Willoughby received fifty coupons for distribution.
Philip Willoughby
Philip Willoughby, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Port Loyola
“I made a list of again and I start those who are sick, those who are disabled, extremely large families, more than one families living on a property on in a single home. Those are the ones we consider much needy at this time.”
The P.U.P.’s Standard Beater for the division Gilroy Usher Senior was handed forty vouchers. He has a team working the streets, identifying the neediest families to assist.
Gilroy Usher Sr.
Gilroy Usher Sr., P.U.P. Standard Bearer, Port Loyola
“It will go a long way in assisting the residence of Port Loyola particularly the most needed. We have a number of persons that go out in the division and identity who have not received any food assistance as yet. So we will make sure that those persons or the majority of those persons that are possible benefit from this generous donation from the Indian community.”
The food hampers were made possibility by the collective efforts from members of the Indian community. The politicians are simply conduits to get the food items to the residents of their choosing.
Hipolito Novelo
“Would it be fair to say that these persons that you are helping are you supporters in the constituency?”
Philip Willoughby
“Sir, I would hope that they are but there is no way to prove that. Like I said, they is a stage and a point in time and in life facing the COVID-19 pandemic they are indeed so whether or not they look at me as their candidate or some figure I hope to many that I’ll will be somewhat of a figure that will leave a mark that has impacted their lives by making the contribution and they owe me nothing.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Would it be primarily your supporters that you are helping with the coupons?”
Gilroy Usher Sr.
“No I have a policy of assisting everybody in the Port Loyola division regardless of political affiliation. We are not concern if you are U.D.P., P.U.P. or no P. This is a national emergency and so we try to assist the maximum number of persons regardless of their political association.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
