Seniors’ Small Friday Sale Helps Feed the Homeless

For approximately 15 years, a small group of senior citizens has been turning ordinary Fridays into an act of service, selling fruits, plants and donated items to help feed vulnerable persons in and around Morant Bay, St. Thomas.

The initiative is rooted in the Anglican Church’s outreach efforts and is held at the Anglican Church Hall near Paul Bogle Square.

Dotlene Irving, who has been part of the group since its inception, tells JIS News that proceeds from the sale are applied directly to a feeding programme, which caters to people living on the street, every third Friday.

The donated items vary from glassware to second-hand goods and are sold for as low $100.

Many of the items carry their own stories.

“For example, you notice we have some glassware on the table. Those were donated by a member who has gone back to live in England. When she was clearing out the house, she gave us some of the things. Another member of our group sells a lot of the stuff that she inherited from her mother that she really doesn’t need,” Ms. Irving shares.

Other items come from family members of former participants who have since passed on. Despite the loss of some of the group’s original members over the years, the effort continues with the remaining members remaining committed to showing up week after week.

Before the sale days, the feeding initiative relied heavily on donations from supporters.

“Somebody would bring a pot of rice, some would bring vegetables, some would bring the meat,” Ms. Irving recalls.

After a temporary pause, the programme resumed last September.

“People kept asking, ‘when are you going to start to cook again?’ So, we have started since September and we are going along,” Ms. Irving tells JIS News.

While the Friday sale began as an Anglican church outreach activity, it has since become a mixed group of persons from various denominations.

Beyond feeding the homeless, the weekly gathering has become a social lifeline for the women involved, many of whom are retirees.

“Some Fridays we don’t sell anything, but because we come and share with each other, we just keep coming,” Ms. Irving shares.

“It’s a way for us to get out of our houses, because when you’re getting on in age you don’t go out so much again. So, it’s our little outlet,” she adds.

The group also uses the opportunity to interact with other members of the public.

“Sometimes we come here and we see people we have not seen for a long time and we greet and we chat and they’re gone again. We also use this as a means of sharing with others in the community who might need our assistance. If we can’t give them what they want, we find a way to hook them up with somebody or somewhere where they can get benefits,” she tells JIS News.

For Ms. Irving and the members of the group, it is extremely important for senior citizens to stay engaged and find purpose in helping others.

“We would encourage persons not to stay home and mope and be sorry for themselves. When we pass a certain age and find that we’re not going to work again and so on, it’s always nice to find yourself doing something worthwhile,” she says.