MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Not being able to shake the feeling that she could do more to help others, former policewoman Yvonne Townsend-Kerr said she started engaging in charitable efforts in 1992 while still in the constabulary.

The needs were many, she said. She helped to care for the homeless — sometimes to the extent of taking children and even adults who had fallen into hard times into her own home. She also helped critically ill people such as HIV and cancer patients with food, treatment and care. On occasions, Townsend-Kerr said she felt compelled to assist with funerals and provide support to needy college students.

Even just being on the road daily, she would help people needing a snack or phone card.

Townsend-Kerr said that her home has always been a base for the work that she is doing, but since 2008 she has left law enforcement to operate a fully registered Thrift Shop called Friends in Need on Hargreaves Avenue in Mandeville.

She told the Jamaica Observer that the thrift shop is the consistent means of funding for the projects in which she engages. While support is encouraged from others, she said that a partnership approach is preferred.

“We tell supporters what the need is and they pay for it or donate the item. That way you can account for your money,” said Townsend-Kerr.

This year marks a quarter century of the existence of the organisation, and she said as a major anniversary project she wants to give 25 “at-risk” males aged 18-30 a second chance of improving themselves educationally this school year.

She said that preparation has been made for 10 young men so far, and it is now a race against time to get the other 15 ready.

The young men will be registered for classes at an outreach centre at Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church to sit up to six Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level subjects next year. The needs to be met consist of payment for the subject(s), textbooks, stationery, and a stipend for food and transportation.

Ideally, Townsend-Kerr said, the aim is to help them to get jobs to sustain themselves, but the organisation wants to be able to provide support in the event that the employment plan takes longer to fall into place or do not happen as expected.

She said that the participants have been selected through referrals and have all shown enthusiasm to receive the opportunity.

“We would like people who can provide jobs for them or sponsor them,” she said.

She said that trying to address the varied needs can be quite a challenge, but her passion to help people when they are at their lowest and willingness to make the necessary sacrifices for the cause keep her going.

“We live simple. If I need clothing I get it from the thrift shop,” she said, adding that the needs are constantly coming in and creative ways have to be found to use the limited resources.

Townsend-Kerr said that with more support the reach of the organisation could be extended significantly.

“We are not asking for much. Just look around in your environment. We want to give thanks to those who have supported us over the years and appeal to those who have not started (to come on board). We would like more support from corporate companies and individuals with the means to assist, even if they don’t wish to come to the organisation,” she said.

Townsend-Kerr said that some of the other needs of the organisation at this point include items of clothing for men, shoes for men, and a vehicle to more effectively carry out their duties of feeding and care on the road.

She said that social work students at Northern Caribbean University, the Child Development Agency, the Mental Health Department at the Comprehensive Clinic in Mandeville, Parent Teachers Associations, the Fire Department, and the Poor Relief Department are among the agencies and individuals providing assistance as well as information about people in need of help.

Twenty-two-year-old Romario Campbell, who will be getting a chance to resit mathematics through the programme for “at-risk” youth and who is no stranger to struggles, said he stumbled upon the assistance when he went to purchase a shirt at the thrift shop because of the affordability.

“Friend in Need is a major upliftment,” he said.

Retired vice-principal of Bellefield Primary School in Manchester and volunteer, Marilyn Mason-Anderson, lauded Townsend-Kerr for her dedication and benevolence, which she said is not restricted by borders as she has provided aid to the vulnerable in other parishes and as far as Haiti.

“She gives her all. It’s like she has a call for that,” she said.

To provide support, Friends in Need can be reached at 10 Hargreaves Avenue in Mandeville, numbers 421-3453, 519-8227, or at friendsinneedcharity@yahoo.com.