Every year, the Feed a Child for the Holidays team endeavours to put smiles on the faces of children by giving their love, time and support. This vibrant group of humanitarians enjoys giving back to their communities and spreading Christmas cheer.
Established in December 2007, Feed a Child for the Holidays is a private non-profit group dedicated to making a humanitarian effort to share the spirit of Christmas. The group endeavours to bring gifts, food items, basic necessities, encouragement and love to the less fortunate children in Guyana.
Feed a Child for the Holidays objectives are to raise awareness of the plight of orphaned children in Guyana and to provide assistance – whether emotional, financial or physical – to under-privileged children, wherever they may be.
Tannylee Fung, Schemel Patrick, Natasha Backer, Teisha Milner, Keisha Assanah, Rhonda Bourne, Maren Oxford, Dionne Cush and Alana Lowton are core team members determined to continue to spread joy and love to vulnerable children.
“This year, as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we hope to reach more children and to garner as much support. Our vision this year is to donate to 10 children’s homes in and around Georgetown, mostly homes we have partnered with over the decade we’ve been donating. We started out as a small group hosting parties for the orphan and vulnerable (OVCs) of Youth Challenge Guyana and over the years we have grown as we now engage more homes and partner with a number of humanitarians,” Schemel Patrick expressed in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.
She added that over the past years, Feed a Child for the Holidays received tremendous support from a number of individuals and organisations and hopes this year is no different. Schemel encourages kind-hearted individuals to show random and simple acts of kindness, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
“We have grown to identify ourselves as a sort of facilitator of spreading Christmas cheer. At Christmas, persons are always looking to participate in one goodwill activity or another, as an already established group, Feed a Child for the Holidays provides that platform for persons to make worthy donations to various children’s groups all in the spirit of giving,” Schemel noted.
Via its Facebook page, Feed a Child for the Holidays invites benevolent citizens and organisations to donate. The charitable organisation welcomes essential supplies or for individuals and companies to sponsor a home, executing an activity or donating items of their choice. If you are desirous of contributing to one or more of Feed a Child for the Holidays’ activities, message, call or reach out to one of its members.
“Every year we are fortunate enough to make our contributions entirely from donations by public-spirited citizens and corporate Guyana. We think it is important that we express heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has assisted us in one way or another over the years. Our corporate sponsors over the years have been Germans Restaurant, Sterling Products Ltd., Edward B. Beharry and Company, Ansa McAL, Lasleek Fashions, DIGICEL Guyana, the Sticky Wicket Restaurant and Bar, Leading Edge Guyana and Massy Distributions. We also partner with youth organisations, in the past we have partnered with the Guyana Girl Guides Association and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) – Guyana. The response is always overwhelming,” Schemel declared.
Since its inception, Feed a Child for the Holidays has donated/collaborated with Youth Challenge Guyana’s OVC programme, The Red Cross Convalescent Home, The Sophia Care Centre, The Drop-In Centre, The St. John’s Boscoe Home, St. Ann’s Home, Sophia Sparkle Youth Group, Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and Help and Shelter.
For updates on its activities and information on how you can help, visit Feed a Child for the Holidays on Facebook or call 687-5363 and 699-7704. Apart from Christmas gifts, the group accepts food items, school supplies, basic necessities and clothing for children. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
