QUICK service food company Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ) has furthered its partnership with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) with a cash donation of $1 million to its Project STAR programme.

This contribution will boost the initiatives of the project and its efforts to achieve social and economic transformation in 10 underserved communities.

“As a major social transformational programme, we truly commend Project STAR’s approach to economic growth through comprehensive community engagement, assessment, and development.

“At ROJ we value initiatives geared towards social upliftment and development in all spaces within the economy, so we’re extremely happy to extend this support. All in all, this is a continuation of our unwavering commitment to assist in building our great nation and supporting those communities and persons in need,” said ROJ’s Brand Manager Andrei Roper.

Project STAR is a five-year social and economic transformation project which targets 10 under-resourced, underserved communities experiencing increased crime and violence. Through a comprehensive consultation process, communities assist in determining their own needs, which are further supported by extensive data and analysis.

According to Project STAR Programme Director Saffrey Brown, as a private sector-led initiative, funding is sought from the wider society, including like-minded philanthropic companies such as the ROJ.

“We welcome the partnership with ROJ because to achieve our desired goals we must engage all of society and for us it’s every business leader, every brand, every organisation that has a similar mindset of valuing community outreach and increased economic investment. Over the years, ROJ has invested quite a lot in different community initiatives and we appreciate their involvement in ours.

“Our donors’ contributions sometimes go beyond cash. We may host community engagement activities, training programmes, or job placements, and ROJ will be able to make an even greater impact,” said Brown.

Since 2020 ROJ has donated in excess of $25 million in cash and meals to various outreach projects through their KFC Add Hope outreach programme, including donations to the PSOJ’s COVID Relief Fund.