Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
GK Campus Connect Food Bank – Feed the Future!
As a part of GraceKennedy’s efforts to support students in a multifaceted way at the tertiary level, the GraceKennedy Foundation is partnering with Grace Foods, Hi-Lo Food Stores, Office of Student Financing and the Guild of Students, UWI, and the UTECH Financial Aid Office to open food banks on both campuses. This is to address one of the critical issues affecting many tertiary level students who are often hard-pressed to eat healthy nutritious meals as any financial assistance they may receive is usually geared towards covering tuition, books and other educational-related expenses. The first food bank opened on April 1, 2019 and serves as a collection point for food donations that are redistributed to needy students. The second food bank will open on October 1, 2019 at the UTECH Campus. GraceKennedy Scholars will use their volunteer hours to man the food bank. Since April, 108 students have received food packages and 230 packages have been issued.
Partnership in Action
- Grace Foods has committed Grace products valued at $1Million for the food bank
- Dairy Industries and Grace Food Processors (Meats Division) Canning provide monthly donations to the food bank
- The Office of Student Financing, UWI and UTECH Financial Aid Office vet and select the beneficiaries in order to maintain transparency
- The UWI Guild of Students, and the UTECH Financial Aid Office provide locations for the Food Bank free of cost
- Hi-Lo Food Stores has dedicated donations from select stores to the food bank
- Sampars has created a ‘Good Graces’ barrel for persons in the Jamaican diaspora to purchase on their website. to go towards assisting a student for a month
Jamaica Stroke Alliance
The Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the newly established Jamaica Stroke Alliance to partner with them on initiatives that aim to provide education, resources and support for persons who have suffered a stroke.
GK Campus Connect Programme
In October 2018, the Foundation, launched GK Campus Connect where tertiary scholarship recipients serve as Campus Ambassadors for GraceKennedy brands including Grace Foods, First Global Bank (FGB), GK Insurance, GK Money Services and Hi-Lo Food Stores. The students gain hands-on experience in business processes, marketing and sales. This exposure helps to develop their soft skills including leadership, time management, communication and problem-solving, while building their self-confidence and inter-personal relationships. Scholarship awardees are required to open First Global Bank accounts and give back 30 hours of volunteer service. The scholars have used their voluntary hours to work at the newly established GK Campus Connect Food Bank, to assist with the packaging and distribution of food packages to students in need attending UWI and UTECH.
