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As the GraceKennedy Group plays its part through its businesses worldwide in the COVID-19 response, GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC has teamed up with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and Jamaica Consul General Alison Roach-Wilson to provide food assistance to over 5,000 persons in need.
“We know that it is a difficult time, and that food insecurity is an issue for many, so we’re working with the offices of member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing New York’s 9th congressional district, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and Consul General Alison Roach-Wilson, to alleviate some of that pressure,” said Derrick Reckord, President & CEO, GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC.
According to a press release, the program started on May 2, with donations made to 12 churches in the New York Metro area.
“We are providing food to those in need in the community, including stranded Jamaicans who cannot get home as a result of the COVID-19. The donations will be made every other week for the next two to three months, and during that time, we expect to serve over 5,000 people,” Reckord revealed.
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who was out with the team delivering packages to several churches including Beulah Church of Nazarene and Calvary Community Church, thanked GraceKennedy Foods for “their selfless donations.”
According to Reckord, “over the years, we have been able to form great partnerships with the Congresswoman and her team, as well as the Consul General and her team. We are proud to have their support yet again, as we work together to help individuals and families get through this challenging time”.
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GraceKennedy Foods’ donation to the communities is in addition to assistance being given to first responders, and further work being done in the South East, with the Jamaican Consulate in Florida.
Reckord advised that over the last two weeks, GraceKennedy Foods (USA) LLC had sent gift cards to assist at least 50 Caribbean students across the U.S. who had been displaced when their colleges closed, but they were unable to make it back home.
In addition to its efforts in the United States, the GraceKennedy Group has been rolling out COVID-19 response initiatives in Jamaica, Latin America and the Caribbean, Canada, and the UK.
“We are a Jamaican company, but our reach is wide. We take our ‘we care’ responsibility very seriously, wherever in the world we operate. As such, we are doing what we can to try to make a positive impact on people’s lives, in what we know is a difficult time,” Reckord said.