The Family Support Network assisted approximately 150 families across the British Virgin Islands during the Christmas season with food supplies from their pantry, gifts to children and counseling services to residents in need.
FSN’s Treasurer Jasmin D’Aguiar made the disclosure during an invited comment from our newsroom recently, where she said her organization was able to help many residents during the festive season to provide some form of relief in several areas.
She said, “So far we have I would say at this point 150 families approximately. Families consist of 2 to about 10 to 12 in a family so obviously that number varies on the amount of individuals we have helped versus families.
She added, “We have helped with groceries mostly at this point as in pantry supplies, every family we try to give gifts to, we have gotten gift donations as in toys for kids ages between 0 to about 14 so, so what we try to do is every family that we have, we try to cover all the kids of the family and we have gotten toys for kids from Zonta, Rotary and the Catholic Church.”
FSN received several donations
D’Aguiar also said that the Family Support Network has been very fortunate to receive numerous donations from several entities during the season to benefit residents in the territory.
“During this Christmas season we have gotten quite a bit of donations from various private entities, also from the Lion’s Club which made a substantial donation towards the pantry, we got Maples who restocked the pantry, so at this point the pantry was fully restocked but it’s obviously getting low but from thanksgiving to now it was very stocked. Obviously feeding this amount of people inventory wise, it would’ve gotten low,” she stated.
Money and food items preferred type of donation
When asked of the organisation’s preferred type of donations, D’Aguiar said monetary and food donations are always the two preferred options.
She said they both cover the majority of the critical areas of the organization which allows FSN to function effectively.
“The two things that we need the most are monetary donations, because monetary donations go towards counseling and it goes towards the office. Because in order for us to provide a service, we have to pay staff in order to provide the service to the public even though what we’re providing is free, but we have to pay the staff to conduct the service. So basically, the two things that are our main focus right now of what I’d like to see more of is donations towards the pantry as in food supplies and monetary donations,” D’Aguiar explained.
Counseling a major service offered by FSN
The treasurer said while the FSN is most known for providing shelter and food items to residents in need, the organization also offers counseling which she said is one of the important services that some persons tend to overlook.
She said counseling has helped numerous women and men in the BVI, allowing them to get back on their feet and in the right mindset.
“I would say a female leaves about 10 times and goes back in order for her to actually leave. In the meantime, she’s seeking counseling and it’s a pattern where most women who have come in or been in these types of situations, it’s women who…obviously there’s the pattern of minimum wage and not all of them is within that category, domestic violence happen in all ways and forms, but I find that the women who need the more help are the women who are on the less fortunate side of it,” she explained.
She added, “So most of these women have to seek counseling in order for them to build their self-esteem up for them to do this by themselves, they have to get that motivation, they have to build their confidence up again. So, even though on the counseling side that we don’t get any recognition, it goes a very long way to get women out of these situations and not just women, men also.”
D’Aguiar also informed the public that the Family Support Network will be operating remotely until mid-next week and will only be accepting emergency calls at the number 499-0999.