KINGSTON, Jamaica — With food insecurity a growing concern for many university and college students, JP Tropical Foods has partnered with the GK Foundation’s Campus Connect Food Bank to tackle poor nutrition and the disruption of food intake due to a lack of finances.

In a release, the partners shared that “if left unchecked, the alarming long-term effects such as poor mental and physical health will impact students’ academic performance” and expressed that in an effort to combat the latter, they have committed over 3,500 pounds of their nutrient-filled JP pineapples and bananas to the feeding programme for the remainder of 2022.

 “Nutritious and healthy foods have a direct impact on students’ academic performance, and we cannot ignore the cyclical effect of a lack in financial resources on this dynamic. JP Tropical Foods partnership with the GK Campus Connect Food Bank is an important step towards improving the wholesomeness of campus food and lending a helping hand where it is needed most,” JP Tropical Foods Marketing Executive, Gayon Douglas, said.

“Our hope is that our JP ripe bananas will be a quick and easy snack for on-the-go students and our fibre-filled JP green bananas will help students to feel fuller for longer.” She noted that the antioxidant-packed pineapples would be a major boost to the immune systems of the students as they often forget to factor in their health while studying,” she added.

Each month, students enrolled to Financial Aid programmes from the University of Technology (UTech), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts will receive boxes of the locally grown produce through the Food Bank.

“It is important that our industry leaders are collaborating in this way to show students that through partnership, a lot can be achieved. The support we are receiving from the GK Campus Connect Food Bank and JP Tropical Foods is meeting a critical need; by providing nutrition and financial relief for these promising scholars. Good nutrition is oftentimes costly, and this initiative is going a far way in bridging that gap,” Acting Deputy President of UTech, Dr Haldaine Johnson, said.

While sharing more about the inspiration behind the venture and the necessity for partners like JP Tropical Foods, GK Foundation CEO, Caroline Mahfood, noted that the Foundation is “trying to create long-term partnerships with a variety of companies, like JP Tropical Foods while also implementing sustainable fundraising strategies. The addition of fresh produce will go a long way for the students and we are very excited to have JP Tropical on board and look forward to a fruitful partnership”.

In the meantime, UTech President’s Assistant, Daneillea Wadsworth, expressed her gratitude for the commitment by the Tropical Foods conglomerate. “The support from JP Tropical has really lifted my spirits. With the onset of COVID-19 and the resource limitations, students have been affected negatively when it comes to meeting food, housing and financial needs.”

 “Our budgets are stretched, and do not have much flexibility to add fresh foods which can be expensive. To have fresh foods offered to the student body in this way means a lot and I hope that it will encourage better diet choices,” she continued.

The GK Campus Connect Food Bank which started in April 2019 with just 20 students, has seen strong support from a wide cross-section of students. The Food Bank is aiming to target 200 students by September this year.