Bank helps St. Martin de Porres feeding program
Feeding programs have become an integral part of many schools. At St Martin de Porres on Partridge Street, the program will now be administered in more comfortable surroundings. The kitchen and feeding area have been improved with the help of the British Caribbean Bank International Limited who invested in the upgrades to make eating and the school’s home economics class a more pleasant experience. News Five’s Delahnie Bain was on hand for this morning’s celebration.
Delahnie Bain, Reporting
The students of St. Martin De Porres Primary School were welcomed back after the Easter holidays with a newly renovated kitchen and feeding area. It’s a project that ran the British Caribbean Bank International Limited, an affiliate of the Belize Bank, close to thirteen thousand dollars and it is very much appreciated.
Suzette Dortch, In Charge of Home Economics/Feeding Program
Suzette Dortch
“It’s a great idea, I am overwhelmed, I’m happy and I’m glad that they have donated. I want to say a big thank you to the British Caribbean Bank that they have chosen St. Martins School to give this donation.”
Christopher Coye, Managing Dir., British Caribbean Bank Intl Limited
“The kitchen needed a lot of work and for the benefit of the kids we saw this as an area that needed attention, the bank, being a real believer in social and economic upliftment through education. So this is a small way to contribute to that end.”
Roselda Sinclair, Principal, St. Martin De Porres School
“It is a very good donation because we really needed it.”
Delahnie Bain
“What was the building like before?”
Roselda Sinclair
Roselda Sinclair
“Well, the children did not have comfortable place to eat. Now that it is renovated it is more spacious and attractive so the children will have a more comfortable area to eat in.”
According to the head of the school’s feeding program, Suzette Dortch, they have received numerous promises of assistance from different organizations, but BCBIL is the first to deliver on their promise.
Suzette Dortch
“We got a call through our local manager, Father Joe, he got a call from the Belize Bank and they discussed how they could assist the school. He brought them over and they saw how they could have renovated. We needed more space for the children because we have like sixty-five children that eat in the kitchen on a daily basis and they decided that they wanted to donate some equipment as well as renovate the area.”
Christopher Coye
Christopher Coye
“In terms of the kitchen here at the school it was an overall renovation. We purchased some kitchen appliances; we purchased a stove, a small freezer and we redid the kitchen cabinets and also the tables where the kids have their lunch and the benches as well.”
Apart from the feeding program, Dortch says the room is multi-functional.
Suzette Dortch
“The room serves a dual purpose. We do the feeding program as well as we teach home economics in the afternoon. The children in standard two and three, they take a course in sewing and food and nutrition. So we have a lot of space, they are going to work in a cleaner environment and I’m pretty sure that we are going to take good care of it.”
Managing Director for BCBIL, Christopher Coye, says they will continue to support the feeding program at St. Martins as well as extend their work to other schools in need. Delahnie Bain for News Five.
Dortch extends special thanks to the Belize Defence Force soldiers who assisted with the work over the Easter holidays.
