St Philip's Love Thy Neighbour Group Distributes 200 Hams for Yuletide Season with Community Partners

The Love Thy Neighbour Group is on a mission to ensure as many people in St Philip as possible receive a ham for the Yuletide season.

The group, led by founder and chairman Michael Lashley, purchased 200 hams to be distributed throughout the parish and beyond.

“We started [Friday] night, basically, with the first box of 50 hams. [Saturday], they’re delivering another 50, and because it’s 200 hams, of course, it will take some time to deliver so we’re doing it in sections. We will be delivering throughout St Philip and to other vulnerable persons that we have on our radar,” he said on Saturday.

Lashley said the ham donation was being done in partnership with DSK Clothing as well as with the Friends of St Philip North Club and the Congo Road Social Club. He also thanked Hanschell Inniss for its assistance.

“We want to continue with projects like this. In the New Year, we want to work with the schools, we want to work with the churches, we want to work with atrisk youth to bring programmes to them, and basically build back and bring back a stronger community spirit to St Philip,” he said.

Lashley, an attorney

and first vice-president of the Democratic Labour Party, said his busy schedule and personal matters prevented the deliveries from occurring before Christmas.

“[I have] a love for the people of St Philip and Barbados as a whole so I don’t want people to see this as a political action, because it’s really an action to build community and action to assist those in need, whether you support D, B, N, S, whatever.

“It’s really love for your fellow man and your brother man, and to ensure that they enjoy the last days of Christmas and indeed going to the new year knowing that the Love Thy Neighbour Group and other groups in St Philip will be there to assist,” he added.

(CA)