Combined Disabilities Association gets essential supplies

While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the pockets and well-being of many, vulnerable groups, including the disabled, have been especially hit hard.

Jennifer Kinglocke, administrative assistant at the Combined Disabilities Association, said that it has been hard during the pandemic "because we are totally dependent on donations".

"We only get a small provision from the Government of $110,000 per month. We don't do any production or manufacturing, we only deliver service," she said. "We had to temporarily close the office when COVID came in because things were slow. But we came back out to serve the persons shortly after because we started receiving some donations, and persons were very much in need."

Among the entities that reached out was the Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica (PSJ). It distributed its first set of packages to vulnerable groups in May under its Jamaican Pharmacists CARE Programme.

Their plight were overlooked

"We had taken on another project and decided to reach out to the Combined Disabilities Association after seeing their plight in a newspaper article; they were overlooked," said Kevar Bennett, head of the programme. "The groups that we are targeting are those that are often neglected and forgotten, like the disabled communities, children's homes, and those at the infirmaries," Bennett said

"We donated items inclusive of food, sanitation, household items and toiletries, things they would be in desperate need of," he said. The donations were handed over on July 3.

Kinglocke said the association, which advocates for persons with disabilities, was grateful for the help.

"Our members are very grateful for the donations that we got, especially the diapers, because persons were really in need of diapers," she said.

Bennett also noted that the PSJ made donations to St Monica's Home and the Pringle's Girls' Home.