St Anthony's Kitchen reaches out to Negril's less fortunate

Karrie Williams, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Monday to Friday each week, the St Anthony's Kitchen in Negril provides generous meals and other basic necessities to the resort town's less fortunate.

The soup kitchen, which has been operating for almost four years, is run in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Negril and the Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Church through the patronage of Father Jim Bok and founding member of the church's women's group, Pearl Distin.

The only one of its kind in Negril, St Anthony's has become a beacon in the busy resort town. Close to 200 persons are fed each day through a breakfast programme, which is offered primarily to children, and a lunch programme, which caters to both adults and children. Along with soup, chicken, rice, and vegetables are provided on the menu for a balanced meal.

St Anthony's Kitchen has also established a thrift shop that sells new and donated items at reduced prices. The majority of the items are contributed by visitors to the town through an initiative run by the Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Church. The proceeds earned are used to fund the Get Kids to School programme, which provides needy children with a daily stipend to get them to attend school regularly.

Elaine Bradley, who is a former president of the Negril Rotary Club, volunteers at St Anthony's three days a week. She described how the soup kitchen is making a difference in Negril.

"I just feel good giving back," said Bradley. "It makes me feel so good just to see their faces of appreciation.

"Along with feeding them and providing other basic necessities, we also give them a little bit of social graces, like how to say please and thank you. When we first started, it was not like that. Everybody wanted to be first. Now, they line up and they are so orderly. It's so pleasant ... a real pleasure serving them," she said.

Along with the local volunteers such as Bradley, a number of visitors to Negril also volunteer at St Anthony's. One such visitor is upstate New York native, Judith Kane, who, along with her husband, has been helping out.