KINGSTON, Jamaica — Elderly residents who benefit from the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) Meals on Wheels Programme showcased their cooking skills on Tuesday as they added local flair to Food for the Poor Manna Packs in a unique food sampling event, “Mission Manna Pack – Jamaican Style”.

The NCSC partnered with Food for the Poor to highlight the creativity of Jamaican senior citizens who have been adding local herbs, vegetables and spices to the Manna Pack rice meal, which is provided through the NCSC’s Meals on Wheels Programme.

The manna packs are provided as part of the programme which provides daily sustenance to approximately 100 food-poor, shut-in older people in the corporate area and a monthly food package to 500 needy older people across the island.

The event brought together representatives from Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), Food for the Poor, and the NCSC to sample unique Jamaican-style versions of the Manna Pack meal, launch a recipe book featuring these recipes and promote healthy eating among older people, even on a budget.

Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr, who was in attendance, said: “This event highlighted the critical need to support our senior citizens who have contributed so much to our society.”

Charles Jr further emphasised that the event also underscores the importance of food security and healthy ageing.

“Our seniors deserve to live with dignity, and access to nutritious food is a fundamental aspect of that dignity,” he said.