KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Baking Company Foundation (NBC Foundation), in partnership with Food for the Poor Jamaica (FFP) officially handed over homes to families in need in St Ann and Clarendon.

Three homes were handed over to recipients last week — two in St Ann on Thursday and one in Clarendon on Friday, according to a release.

The houses, which are valued at US$4,900 each, have two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a loft area.

As they reflected on their previous living conditions, immense gratitude poured in from recipients of the new homes.

Twenty-nine year old Odett Masters, from Whitehall, Blackstonedge, St Ann, said that the zinc on the roof of her previous dwelling were rotted and riddled with holes which caused leaking when it rained.

“Di condition was very terrible, a lot of rats and roaches…when rain fall me have to use one drum or pot to catch water so dat di place nuh flood. Sometime if we shake di house, di board dem drop out,” said Masters, who lives with her boyfriend, son and two brothers.

“Me stepfather introduce me to Food for the Poor and tell me that me can apply for a house. Me ask him how fi dweet and me get di letters and whatever me fi get and give it to him to give [Food for the Poor]. Anyways me send it and me have me hopes up and say ‘God ah go mek me get di house cause me really in need of it’ and when me get di call me happy,” she added.

Indicating that she is now “well comfortable”, Masters says she is grateful to the organisations for their assistance.

“When me say well, me mean we well comfortable! Now when rain fall me can stay pon me verandah and look out. Me just happy! I would like to say a big thanks to Food for the Poor and National and may God continue to bless you guys to keep doing the good jobs that you’re doing,” Masters said.

Desmond Wollaston and his wife, Sheika, shared similar statements as they too received a new dwelling. According to a release, it has been a long seven-year wait for relief for the family of five who previously shared a dilapidated single-room home with no bathroom facilities or running water in Turnberry Guys Hill, St Ann.

Hit hard by the economic slowdown caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic, and on hearing the news that they would be receiving a home, the mother of two said it was like receiving the “best Christmas ever”.

“Boy, it come in like we get a Christmas gift. It feel good…because of the [pandemic] the Christmas neva so nice but me a tell you we feel the Christmas vibe when we get the new house. We have more space now and bathroom facilities because the other bathroom was outside,” Wollaston said at the official handover.

She went on to advise people who have applied for assistance to remain optimistic as well as urged others not to take advantage of the efforts of the charity organisation.

In Aenon Town, Clarendon, haulage contractor, Michael Miller, also expressed his gratitude in reuniting his family under one roof.

“It was really welcoming news because I wanted to get my children back together because I was staying with my uncle for almost a year while they were in Mandeville with their mother. I really appreciate the efforts of the members of staff, workers and whoever I was in contact with as it pertains to putting this project together,” he said.

The various agencies involved also expressed their sense of fulfilment in carrying out this philanthropic undertaking.

Executive Director of NBC Foundation, Lauri-Ann Samuels said, “The completion and handover of an additional three homes donated was the result of strong continued partnership between ourselves and Food for the Poor Jamaica. We firmly believe that it is our duty to serve Jamaicans most in need and wish these families all the best as they move into their new homes. The National Baking Company Foundation remains committed to lifting members of the community even as we continue to navigate unprecedented times.”

The Foundation has supported the Food for the Poor Jamaica’s housing relief efforts for more than 10 years as part of its mandate to uplift communities across the island.

It has also contributed to about 30 charitable organisations including Maxfield Park Children’s Home, SOS Children’s Village, Mustard Seed Communities, Missionaries for the Poor, and the Salvation Army.

According to FFP Development and Marketing Manager, Marsha Burrell-Rose, it’s paramount that its donors, partners, and recipients are completely changed through their interaction with the charity organisation, as it remains committed to transforming lives through its various ministries.

“As we approach 39 years of committed service to the people of Jamaica this coming June, we recognise that our ability to construct over 37,000 houses during this period would not have been possible without our loyal and generous local and overseas donors”.

She continued, “Partners such as the National Baking Company Foundation serve as a model of true servanthood and altruism, having constructed over 40 houses under the Food for the Poor Jamaica’s housing programme. Words are simply not enough to describe the remarkable impact this partnership has had on our beneficiaries, many of whom have gone from a place of hopelessness to restoration. Our houses are not just a house, it’s a shelter with purpose”.