The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

AS many as 7,000 families on Grand Bahama struggling with unemployment during COVID-19 have benefited from a local feeding programme that receives a weekly donation from a private charity.

Reach Out Youth Organization founder Dudley Seide, operator of Reach Out Community Centre, says he is “grateful” to the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation (GBDRF) for their assistance in helping them feed thousands of families.

People line up around 5am daily at the centre on Banyon Lane, Freeport, for a weekly grocery package, valued at more than $200, which includes basic necessities, meat, etc.

With an additional donation from GBDRF, Seide and his team were able to feed more than 1,200 families. And now local businesses are also joining in to offer assistance.

“When GBDRF solidified their weekly commitment, for which we are so grateful, it was easier for us to gain other assistance,” said Seide, who said this week they received more than $50,000 in donations from other businesses, including Sawyers, PharmaChem, Bahamas Wholesale Agency, and FOCOL.

ROYO reaches families in need via WhatsApp and adds to the database based on information from other families. It provides food to 15 to 60 families per day.

“There’s no hoarding going on here,” said Mr Seide. “Those who need help message their name, and the numbers and ages of people in their household, and we help the best we can.”

The GBDRF is the charitable arm of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA).

“COVID-19 has impacted all residents, including those who are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Dorian, and GBDRF has partnered with Reach Out Youth Organization (ROYO) to help feed thousands of struggling families,” according to a statement issued this week.

GBPA president Ian Rolle supports ROYO, a non-profit organisation. He commended Mr Seide for the efforts to feed struggling families.

“Dudley reached out to me to help with a new food provision campaign. I’ve known Dudley for years, and both the GBPA and I have supported his organization’s efforts in the past. We have walked his Ministry neighbourhood and I have seen how people respect him and how he takes care of them. There are very few persons who sacrifice their own financial well-being and time for charity work, and Dudley is one of those unique people,” Mr Rolle said.

Sarah St George, acting chairman of the GBPA, believes that Grand Bahama will recover with the support of all stakeholders.

“No family should go hungry,” she said. “As we’ve seen over and over again, charitable organisations, licensees, and fellow citizens work together to help each other recover and survive in difficult times. This is Grand Bahama, and that’s what we do,” she said.