Hyacinth Richardson Foundation and SPF give away food bags in St. Peters

ST. PETERS — On Saturday, August 29, 2020, some thirty families received two bags of groceries, bottled water, facemasks, and COVID-19 awareness pamphlets compliments of the Hyacinth Richardson Educational Awareness Foundation and Secours Populaire Français. These two organizations intend to give away 260 food bags in the coming week to families and senior citizens negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Hyacinth Richardson Education Awareness Foundation, HREAF, founded by Member of Parliament Hyacinth Richardson, has found an international partner in Secours Populaire Français (SPF), a French Popular Relief organization, which is a French non-profit organization founded in 1945, dedicated to fighting poverty in over 80 countries around the world. HREAF and SPF have been partners since after Irma when the organizations joined forces to provide relief in the hurricane’s aftermath. The present cooperation between HREAF and SPF entails not only providing food assistance but also bringing awareness for the COVID-19 crisis, and the health protocols aid recipients need to follow.

Together with Dessam Supermarket in St. Peters, the organizations gave relief to the families in need of food assistance in this district in the form of these foods bags. The organizations will be working with other supermarkets in the other districts and communities. Penha donated the bags the groceries are packed in.

For families to pick up the food bags, they first have to receive a voucher from the HREAF foundation. The organization have a list of over 1000 people in need of aid. In the coming week, the volunteers intend to do all possible to help families in need on St. Maarten. People who want to receive food vouchers and food baskets can contact Hyacinth Richardson’s organization for assistance.