KINGSTON, Jamaica – Hands in Unison, a non-profit organisation, made Christmas special for over 50 families through the delivery of boxes of groceries in its Christmas Box project.

The families who benefited from this initiative were mainly from Kingston and Manchester.

Hands in Unison is a non-denominational, Bible-based ministry organisation intended to work with other like-minded groups such as churches, community groups, and human development agencies, to cultivate resilience in the lives of vulnerable children and young people. 

Executive Director and founder of Hands in Unison, Ruth-Ann Pinnock, explained the Christmas Box initiative.

“The Christmas Box [project] is realising that many of us are not in the best place at Christmas, especially within this current time, and recognising the love of our saviour, Jesus Christ, and wanting to really reach out to touch persons in this time by extending love this way in a tangible form by providing them with groceries and food items that will last not just for Christmas,” Pinnock told OBSERVER ONLINE. 

The families were selected after the charity organisation challenged persons to become more observant in their communities and to identify and nominate families struggling with the cares of life, in order to be “blessed with a Christmas Box of groceries”.  

According to Pinnock, the Christmas initiative ties into a bible verse that motivates members of Hands in Unison in carrying out their mandate of reaching out to help others.

That scripture is Deuteronomy 15 verse 11 which states, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.'” 

Added Pinnock: “So, that kind of unity to extend to one another and share what we have it goes a long way, I believe, and so, when we reach out and help one another these are the things we will remember.” 

Pinnock, an educator and counseling psychologist by profession, said the reception was very good from the initiative. 

“A lot of them (the families) were touched and overwhelmed by the initiative. There was one lady, in particular, her house had burnt down, and her family was just able to build back… Now that they were able to move back in the house, they didn’t have much, and so, for them to get that (the groceries), it was an experience… that was completely unexpected and, for them, it was really a blessing,” she explained. 

Several of the families, including the children, who were beneficiaries of the gesture, recorded videos or voice notes expressing their gratitude to members of Hands in Unison for their generosity. 

“I want to say thank you for the package that you guys send to us… We are all appreciative,” said one woman whose family was a beneficiary. 

“Thanks Hand in Unison,” shared two children from a family. 

The charity organisation is also grateful for the support extended by both individuals and businesses locally and overseas to making the outreach possible. 

Among those businesses who assisted were Jamaica Packaging, ASK Enterprise Food for the poor, Arnomac Grocery, as well as overseas sponsors.

One of the charity organisation’s directors, Dr Iris Soutar, described as “heart-warming”, the response from “persons who identified families in their communities… [and] then sent us a letter to say, ‘This is my selection'”.

“In this project, we have drawn in probably another 20 or 30 persons to Hands in Unison to be part of our team,” Soutar suggested. 

“We plan to continue working with these families; it is not a one-off encounter with their lives. The contact we have established, we will go on to journey with these families; whatever are their challenges, we will see how we can establish networks to help them,” she continued.

She added that some persons faced issues such as schooling or wanting to get a skill, as well as health-related issues.

Noting that she was elated when Pinnock first came up with the idea of setting up Hands in Unison in 2019, Soutar said the Christmas Box project was different from the other initiatives embarked on by the group.

“The first couple of projects we were trying to do as a team, but this one (the Christmas Box Project) was different, in that we extended our reach to other people who are like-minded.

“In other words, we offered an opportunity for persons to become more discerning of what’s happening in their communities, and for them to identify persons in need,” Soutar, a career special educator, said. 

The other directors of Hands in Unison are Lorene Pinnock, Ojay Henry, and Androski Spicer.

Meanwhile, Pinnock said while the Christmas Box Project will be continuing next year, the non-profit organisation believes that focus on supporting young people and families on a long term basis is key.

“So, yes we would be willing to do that again, but I know we are also looking at long-term initiatives, as well, and how we can be part of a school feeding programme, a sponsorship programme or general intervention in families and young people,” she commented.

Since commencement of activities in mid-2020, Hands in Unison has undertaken four projects, impacting over 1072 children and their families in Kingston, Manchester, and St Elizabeth. 

“Our projects have focused on demonstrating God’s love to families in need by supporting nutritional, educational and emotional health needs,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The community of Kintyre, in Kingston, [for example], has been identified for special focus in this current period. In collaboration with churches operating in the community, site visits were conducted by social workers to assess the needs of children and their families. 

“This revealed a number of children in need of protection from neglect, hunger, educational marginalisation, and at risk to sexual abuse. As a first level of response, we have distributed care packages to over 100 families in this community, and supported back-to-school readiness,” the group stated.

Over the next few months, support is being mobilised to intervene with respect to educational marginalisation and psycho-social impacts in Kintyre, the organisation noted.

Pinnock shared, too, that the group plans to assist some hearing impaired students in Manchester.