The Lions Club of Grand Cayman would like to thank the local community for the tremendous support given towards their first FoodPantry Drive, which took place at local grocery stores on Saturday, September 19, 2015.

The FoodPantry Programme is a community-based programme that collects and stores food and household products for free distribution to persons who have been identified and assessed by local churches, schools and Government agencies and are deemed to be in genuine need. FoodPantry Drives, such as the one that took place this past Saturday, and contributions from grocery and household supply stores and the wider community, will assist in keeping the FoodPantry stocked regularly.

The first FoodPantry Drive was a great success and involved many entities including collection barrels donated by the Cayman Water Company and assistance from the following local grocery and household stores: Kirk Market, Hurley’s Supermarket, Priced Right, Foster’s Food Fair (Airport, Republix, and Countryside). The Lions Club of Grand Cayman would like to make special mention of Kirk Market who promoted the FoodPantry Drive in store and via social media, and also made a significant warehouse contribution. Hurley’s Supermarket also supported their customers by identifying items of need within their store to guide contributions. In addition to this, Advantage Graphic Design graciously donated all graphic and promotional materials for the programme.

This project received a favourable response from the larger community and the FoodPantry is currently in an excellent starting position to support those in need in our local community. As noted by Social Service Committee Chairperson, Lion Letitia Lawrence:

“We are extremely pleased and grateful for the positive response to the launch of the FoodPantry Programme. The items collected will be used to provide benefit to the Community, and in particular to the needs of the youth and the elderly. During the FoodPantry Drive, some persons contributed one canned good, others were able to contribute an entire bag of items. The important message here is that every one of us can make a difference to eliminate hunger in our community.”

This is a long-term project for the Lions Club of Grand Cayman as they will conduct quarterly FoodPantry Drives in addition to collecting ongoing vendor contributions in order to continually meet community needs. For those seeking additional information regarding contributions or requests for assistance, please email the Lions Club of Grand Cayman at [email protected].