Back-to-School Supplies for St. Martin’s Kids
Over the weekend, the Saint Martin’s Community Hub distributed approximately one hundred and fifty school bags and stationeries to primary school children across the community. The hub is one of six established in partnership with the U.S. Embassy back in 2020, to create employment opportunities for reformed gang members. Fast track to 2022 and these men are now trying to help families just in time for the reopening of schools today.
Duane Moody, Reporting
While high schools reopened across the country today, parents are preparing primary school children for their return to the classroom next week. To help those most in need, the young men from the Saint Martin’s Community Hub organized and carried out a back-to-school initiative. A hundred and fifty students were handed a school bag with books, and other basic school supplies.
Olga Gordon
Olga Gordon, Justice of the Peace/Community Activist
“It’s very important because what we do is we work with underprivileged kids and this time is very crucial where parents find it very hard to supply school stuff and things for the kids. This morning, they will be handing out school bags and different stuff to the kids from Saint Martin’s and the surrounding area of Saint Martin’s. So it is my pleasure to work with them; I find joy and comfort working with them.”
For Jermaine Garnett and Albert Clother from the Saint Martin’s One Stop Auto Care on Partridge Street Extension, it is about supporting the community in which they live and giving the children the tools they need for their education.
Albert Clother
Albert Clother, Manager, St. Martin’s One Stop Auto Care
“Most of the assistance come from people right round ina di community. Cox Tire Shop, Jasmine Supermarket. We get a lee thing from Car Guys – big up yoself Said – rest ah guys dah the hub and people right round and round ina di community weh want give back, weh want help the people ina di community weh less fortunate.”
Duane Moody
“Is this the vision you guys had for the hub when it was established almost a year ago?”
Albert Clother
“Yes, definitely. This dah mi di vision weh we had fi help the community. Noh only help wiself, but help the community, help the kids dehn cause the kids dehn dah di future. So then we have to ensure that if we help dehn, we wah got wah future.”
Jermaine Garnett
Jermaine Garnett, St. Martin’s Hub
“If everybody actually chip in then the kids will have a lee easier moments to go back to school. So if everybody mi di do the same thing, ih wah be a lee better moments towards the two three four hundreds kids dehn weh noh got nothing. And then we as a hub, we only di say this hub. We di say fi all the rest of the hubs around and about, we di hub mostly think about the people dehn weh noh have nothing. So we just try get together things from the community. We ask this one fi wah lee thing and dah one deh and we put it together and we try see when dah back to school if we could actually give out some things to the kids.”
They have been able to assist one hundred and fifty so far; nonetheless, Clother says that they welcome partnership with corporate citizens so that other children can also be provided with stationeries.
Albert Clother
“If we could get more support we woulda appreciate that a lot because this hundred and fifty dah just weh we ina di community come together and everybody put a lee something. So then if we could help with a hundred and fifty and dah only we, imagine the majority of people ina di neighbourhood if they come together along with wi, and try help, we could do far more. We could do four five hundred more kids.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
