MANDEVILLE, Manchester — For the past 12 years Belair Early Childhood and Preparatory School in Mandeville has been bringing Christmas cheer to the Salvation Army’s Hanbury Home.

The home, which now caters to 21 children – six girls and 15 boys – received food and toiletries just in time for the festive season.

Principal Melisa Lawson-Smith told the Jamaica Observer that the school’s prefect body and Parent Teachers’ Association collaborated to organise and distribute the items.

“We are here to present our annual Christmas Charity donation. We have been doing this charity programme for over 12 years,” she said.

“We have collected on behalf of the students and their parents and staff … Food items and toiletries,” she added.

She said Windsor Lodge, Candle in the Dark, Manchester Infirmary and inmates at the Mandeville and Porus lock-ups also benefited from donations organised by the school.

“It is one of our baby projects, because we are going to other places as well,” she said.

Lieutenant Adrian Edwards, who has been leading Hanbury Home since 2019, welcomed the donation.

“This donation goes a long way in helping us achieve our goal of maintaining, educating and raising children. [We] want them to see love and leave the home with a knowledge of Jesus,” he said.

He was grateful that even during the novel coronavirus pandemic Belair has continued the donation programme.

“… We know that it has been hard for everybody,” he said.

“When we have kind-hearted people such as Belair School, who comes and make donations like this, it is a reminder that there is good in the world still [and] that there are people out there who care and it is a reminder to our children that there is somebody else out there that still thinks about [them],” he added.

— Kasey Williams