SHAKEIRA Ayton was overjoyed as she received the keys to her new house from Food for the Poor through a donation from the National Baking Company Foundation.

“I feel wonderful, I give thanks,” said Ayton, a single mother of three children.

Ayton was living in what she described as “terrible conditions” as her then house, made from plywood, had been rotting away and the roof was infested with rodents.

These circumstances, compounded by being in a small, crowded area, exposed her and her children to the harsh realities that they would be vulnerable to the COVID-19 if it ever affected one member of the household.

After expressing her concerns to the councillor for her area, it was recommended that she apply to the Food for the Poor 'Tan Ah Yuh Yaad' programme which, through the support of the National Baking Company Foundation, was committed to donating 10 houses to families in need.

All 10 houses have now been delivered and the new home owners have all expressed their gratitude.

“To have three children and experience hard times, it is a joyful feeling to know that I can now have my own safe space” said Ayton.

Since moving into her new house last December, Ayton has settled comfortably and continues to be thankful to the National Baking Company Foundation and the Food for the Poor which she says “are doing a tremendous job because people out there really need the help, especially single parents like myself”.

Solomon Notice, who was the first individual to receive keys to his house under the programme, said that after having his house destroyed by a fire, his family was left to live in deplorable conditions.

It was then that the “good Samaritans” at the Jamaica Fire Brigade submitted his application to the 'Tan Ah Yuh Yaad” programme.

After living in his new house for nearly eight months, Notice said that, “my kids are more comfortable, I feel wonderful, I feel great, I give thanks to Food for the Poor, and I give praise to National, I am so thankful for them”.

Marsha Burrell-Rose, Food for the Poor's development and marketing manager, oversaw the delivery of each house to the grateful families.

“Our journey has been one with great joy! God bless the National Baking Company Foundation team for investing in our Jamaican brothers and sisters,” said Burrell-Rose.

In the meantime Christine Scott-Brown, executive director of the National Baking Company Foundation, said the entity was happy to play a part in uplifting the lives of the families.

“It is the commitment of the foundation to serve our communities where the needs are the greatest. We look forward to continuously working alongside Food for the Poor, as their dedication to the improvement of the lives of Jamaicans is unmatched,” said Scott-Brown.