At a time when the majority of Jamaicans are finding it difficult to put food on their tables let alone find somewhere to live, a destitute Olympic Gardens family has found salvation.

The family has been given a two-bedroom house with modern amenities, including a solar-energy facility.

Food For The Poor provided housing that was initiated through the instrumentality of Tank-Weld Metals’ director, Bruce Bicknell.

A fierce innovator in the Olympic Gardens area, Bicknell played a pivotal role in the community receiving its 20th Food For The Poor wooden unit which features a concrete base.

On receiving the keys to her new and accommodating house, a relieved recipient, Joan Campbell, 56, who for the past 23 years had been squatting in abject squalor in an undesirable and unprotected wooden shack, became contrite and tearful.

In a moment of realisation that the agony of self-doubt has ended, she fell on her knees with hands raised in thankful prayer to Food For The Poor executive director David Mair and Bicknell for the gift, alleviating her suffering by taking her family of eight and herself off an unhealthy, moisture-laden dirt floor.

Tank-Weld Metals, which continues to do more than its bit in community building in the Olympic Gardens area and beyond, was approached by Campbell through Bicknell for “a little assistance” to help improve her living condition.

It was a time when she was at the end of her tether to cope with her growing children who were beginning to find living under the prevailing conditions much too difficult without getting in one another’s way.

Bicknell promised to investigate before volunteering his company’s assistance. When he did he was shocked and moved by the existing condition that he encountered at Campbell’s previous abode. He took the decision that his company would seek help.

Joan was at the time squatting on a parcel of land for which she had no title.

In a moment of crisis with no close relatives to turn to and no settled place of abode to house her children, Joan sought assistance and was granted the spot where her new house now stands, by the then councillor for the division. Joan was allowed to occupy the spot on humanitarian grounds 23 years ago — situated on the gully side of Balcombe Drive in the Kingston 20 area. Her housing situation became critical after her husband was killed and she was put out on the street.

Getting the land was a big step in Joan’s life. She was however, hamstrung. Pregnant and destitute at the time, she needed material to construct a shelter of sorts. Her search and cry for help fell on deaf ears. In a moment of desperation with no help in sight, Campbell turned to Father Richard Albert, then Rector of St Patrick’s Church in the community, for assistance.

Campbell told the Jamaica Observer that she was given enough board with which she managed to construct one-room on the parcel of land that she could occupy without a title of ownership. This was before Bicknell and his company stepped in and

regularised the situation by buying the land for Joan and presented her with the title.

Tank-Weld Metals then presented the title to Joan so that Food For The Poor could

begin legal construction of the two-bedroom unit.

Now, having a place to rest her head at night, Campbell said that despite her best efforts she was never in a position to improve much on what she started with.

“As time went on,” Joan moaned, “things got progressively worse until Mr Bicknell decided to step in and help mi.”

Wanting to contribute to a worthy cause as he has been doing for a number of years, Bicknell sought to make the building on legal land so as to provide Joan with her housing solution. The best was yet to come.

Bicknell’s next step was to approach Food For The Poor to assist Joan in her quest. Some two weeks after Bicknell’s initiative, workmen from Food For The Poor visited the site and took measurements to erect a building. Two weeks later, workmen returned to cast the concrete foundation upon which to build the two-bedroom wooden unit. One month had passed before workmen returned to erect the wooden structure in one day.

“Since then, for the first time in mi life mi know what comfort means. Now mi have continuous water supply fi the first time, as with the house come mi get a 100-gallon plastic drum, a kitchen sink with cupboard and a dish drainer fi wash and set the things to drain. Now mi have solar lighting, mi no have fi pay light bill; a two-door refrigerator; a table-top four-burner stove to provide meals along with toilet and bath with a face basin,” a smiling Joan related.

The building and part furnishing of the two-bedroom dwelling is only one of the hundreds of these houses that are being built islandwide in Jamaica each year by the award-winning Food For The Poor – the largest non-profit organisation in America.

Mair, the local executive director of operations in Jamaica, performed the handing over ceremony recently with initiator and contributor to the project Bruce Bicknell present.

Mair explained that all donors for projects such as these are in America. The projects are run by the president, Robin Mahfood.

“Jamaica gets all the money from that office to build not only houses but also schools: one hundred houses are being built per month now, but that is not all. Food For The Poor to date has also built 50 schools. This undertaking is not performed in one area only but is spread throughout the length and breadth of Jamaica,” Mair pointed out.

Mair went on to explain that apart from building 1200 houses last year, the mission of Food For The Poor “is not only to feed the poor but also to feed, clothe and home the poor”.

No sooner than Food For The Poor finished completing the housing solution to accommodate Joan Campbell and her siblings, the organisation was once again called upon to help replace another eight houses that were destroyed by fire on the evening of Monday,

November 17. The burnt-out houses are adjacent to the Tank-Weld Metals main offices on Seaward Drive — a short distance from where Campbell’s newly constructed house for her family of eight is situated.

Five of the eight houses earmarked for rebuilding by Food For The Poor that were recently destroyed by fire were also burnt down in 2006 and were rebuilt by Food For The Poor.

While the homeless are waiting for their homes to be rebuilt, Food For The Poor and Tank-Weld have joined forces in providing school, food, clothing and books for some 24 adults and children. The organisations have also provided trucks and hardware materials to expedite clean-up.

The Tank-Weld director, who is instrumental in taking care of the needs of the sufferers, praised Food For The Poor for its speedy response to the affected, saying: “Food For The Poor has been a saviour by coming to build back the homes that were destroyed by fire.”