On Monday December 6, 2021, the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), a not-for-profit organization donated forty [40] buckets of food items to the SVG Coast Guard Service (SVGCGS) Food Basket Distribution Programme. These items were handed over during a brief ceremony held at the Coast Guard Base in Calliaqua.
During the ceremony, representative of RRT, Mr. Henley Ward said that the RRT is very pleased to support the SVG Coast Guard’s Annual Food Basket Programme which has been a tradition at the Coast Guard for more than 20 years. He noted that the initiative is geared towards supporting communities and persons in need all over St. Vincent and the Grenadines. According to Mr. Ward, the RRT is happy to assist in providing 40 family food buckets to aid in this effort and hopes the donation will be well received.
Commander of the Coast Guard, Mr. Brenton Cain John accepted the donation on behalf of the SVGCGS. He noted that the SVG Coast Guard Service is a maritime security agency in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with vested interest for the communities in which it serves. He went on to say that he believes in partnership which allows for the fostering of a better relationship with the public, hence the outreach programme was initiated. According to Commander Cain, the initiative allows for the SVGCGS to give back to the elderly and destitute in our communities.
He outlined that the initiative was started when retired Coast Guard Officer Charles Adams saw the need to go into various communities during the Christmas Season to assist the elderly with food items and any other forms of assistance.
In concluding his remarks, Commander Cain applauded the RRT for its proactive approach in executing projects and partnering with various stakeholders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He said that this year’s donation would be given to personnel within the SVG Coast Guard Service who in return would be task with identifying at least one person who is deemed to be less fortunate and is in need of assistance in their community. Some of the communities identified to benefit from the donation are as follows: Georgetown, Mt. Grenan, Lowman’s Windward, Stubbs, Mesopotamia, Calliaqua, Sion Hill, Vermont, Barrouallie to name a few. The Food Basket Programme is headed by Petty Officer Daniel Foyle.
The Rapid Relief Team’s mission is to deliver hope and relief to people across the globe whether it may be fire, flood or humanitarian need and they expand their support services to meet the need at hand. Since the floods in 2017, the RRT have been a part of the community in St. Vincent giving support. RRT St. Vincent is made up of volunteers from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.Globally, it is made up of persons from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church who acts on the principle of care and compassion to provide relief for persons in need. He further said that the core philosophy of the RRT is “providing need to the persons who need it most.”