On the Easter holiday Monday, hundreds of vulnerable people across Kingston and St Andrew received a heartfelt boost of holiday cheer through a large-scale community outreach initiative organized by Kiwanis Club Division 23 East. The club’s annual Easter Breakfast for the Homeless program brought together a coalition of local businesses, municipal authorities and medical providers to deliver hot meals, traditional holiday food and free healthcare services to more than 600 people living in shelters and on the streets of the Jamaican capital.
Volunteers and organizers began their work before dawn, with teams fanning out across multiple districts of the city to reach people wherever they were. Audrey Brown, Lieutenant Governor for Kiwanis Division 23 East, shared that preparation and distribution kicked off at 5:30 am, with separate teams covering zones including Dumfries, New Kingston, Cross Roads, Papine, Liguanea, Half-Way-Tree and downtown Kingston. Every public shelter in the area was included in the outreach, with services delivered to the Desmond McKenzie Transitional Centre, the Church Street Temporary Shelter, the Marie Atkins Night Shelter and the Denham Town Golden Age Home. Brown emphasized that the effort was not limited to shelter residents – unhoused people living on city streets were also priority recipients of support.
For many recipients, the initiative represented far more than a free meal. Fredericka, a 78-year-old resident of the Marie Atkins Night Shelter who has lived at the facility for more than a year, called the outreach an incredible comfort. “As an elderly person over 78 years old it is hard for me to go out and get these things, so when they come here it is an extreme relief for me,” she shared, expressing deep gratitude for the program. Brown added that for many of the people served, the traditional bun and cheese provided by the organizers is the only special Easter meal they will access all year. “All the clubs decided to come together and do one massive project. And it has been so fulfilling to those who are on the streets and in the shelters. Our less fortunate, at times we take them for granted — and for some, this is the only bun and cheese that they will ever have. To us, that is something that we see fit to do. It’s something that means a lot to us,” Brown said, noting the work aligns with the Kiwanis mission of “Serving children in need, one community at a time” by lifting up vulnerable members of the community.
Beyond food support, the initiative integrated free medical care to address unmet health needs among the unhoused and low-income shelter population. Dr. Andre McDonald, chief medical officer at lead sponsor Suretime Emergency Medical Services, explained that at least 50 people received on-site medical check-ups and assistance during the outreach. He framed the holistic effort as a demonstration of a complete definition of health, noting that wellness extends far beyond physical care to include mental, social, financial and even spiritual well-being. “We are here to ensure that people are okay,” Dr. McDonald said.
Club President Carolyn McDonald Riley credited the broad cross-sector collaboration for the initiative’s success, noting that more than 300 holiday buns were donated by participating partners. Suretime Emergency Medical Services served as the lead sponsor, covering costs for cheese and providing on-site medical and security services. Additional in-kind and financial support came from a range of local partners: Island Car Rentals donated two buses to transport volunteers and supplies across all distribution sites; the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation provided on-ground guidance and coordination at the first distribution stop; Flavor Fresh and Newtown Bakery donated all 300 plus buns for the meals; Jet Tour provided gap funding to cover costs not covered by other sponsors; and Lifespan donated bottled water for the event.
The volunteer-led outreach has been celebrated as a powerful example of community action to address food insecurity and unmet care needs among Kingston’s most vulnerable populations ahead of the Easter holiday, with organizers noting plans to continue expanding the annual initiative in coming years.