Acting Principal of Hillside Primary and Infant School in St Mary, Marika Campbell, is encouraging persons who may be considering lending a helping hand to those less fortunate, but are hesitant, to “just do it.”

Campbell was speaking at a recent community outreach event the school organised. The event resulted in 93 elderly people in need from the Friendship Islington area receiving care packages.

“Just start. Because when we started we didn’t start with anything much. When you reach out to persons, you don’t know who will come on board with you – but the hardest part is to start,” Campbell said.

According to Campbell, the care packages were made possible because of the generosity of staff members, parents, Food For The Poor, acquaintances and other suppliers.

At the same time, retired registered midwife and member of the school’s community outreach group, Iris Murray, said she had to join the group because “volunteering is like a part of my DNA.”

Adding that even though she is retired, Murray said she still participates in outreach groups in the parish.

“We do that like twice per year, distributing to the poor and the needy. And not just food, whatever we have like clothing, toiletries. I remember we got walkers and we give chairs and pampers. Anything that we get, we find people that we give it to,” Murray said, noting that it is important to help those less fortunate.

Murray stated that she has been volunteering in several groups for over 40 years.

“I remembered we started outreach to clinic babies and parents and we used to do it around this time, and so that became a part of me that we volunteer. We normally beg for things and give it to them and sometimes we cook and feed them because when we talk about proper nutrition, some people talk about I don’t eat this and the child doesn’t eat this but when we prepare it they eat it so we show them what to prepare as well,” she said.