On June 19th, 2020, the Seprod Foundation visited the central warehouse for the national COVID-19 response co-ordinated by the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the Council of Voluntary Social Service (CVSS). Seprod Foundation, a member of the foundation sector at CVSS for a number of years, did not hesitate to join this multi-sectoral joint effort to give back to our most vulnerable citizens during this particularly difficult time. Seprod Foundation recognizes that giving through this fund provides a level of coordination that is extremely important, especially in times of crisis, ensuring that the resources are directed to where the need is greatest, while avoiding the unintentional duplication of efforts.
Seprod Foundation, represented by Lisa D’Oyen, Executive Director, handed over the overall contribution to the fund of JMD 1,100,000 to Ms. Greta Bogues, Corporate Governance Committee Chair of the PSOJ. JMD 500,000 worth of food packages were allocated to the Salvation Army Eastern Division, a partner of Seprod Foundation for over 5 years. Major Oral Morris of the Salvation Army was present to receive 135 packages to distribute to the most affected communities served by the Eastern Division. The presentation to Major Morris was made by Kerrian Johnson, Seprod’s Group Marketing Manager. The remaining JMD 600,000 of the overall contribution was allocated to the United Way, another long term partner of the Seprod Foundation, and implementation partners on the COVID-19 Response Fund. This provided an additional 162 food packages to be distributed to communities most in need.
“A very important aspect of the work of The Council, is the relationships that are built among our members. This handover was an exciting demonstration of member to member support, with CVSS Foundation Sector member Seprod Foundation doing a cheque presentation to another CVSS member Salvation Army.” commented Executive Director of the CVSS, Shelly-Ann Lawson Francis. “It is more important than ever that we come together and lift each other up. The Seprod Foundation is proud to have been able to support our partners and our communities during this difficult time. We see the food packages as more than just food packages, they are a reminder to our fellow Jamaicans that they are not alone, and that we care” continued Lisa D’Oyen of the Seprod Foundation.
Seprod Foundation’s mission is to strengthen and build communities through meaningful relationships and partnerships. Our team also jumped at the opportunity to volunteer, assisting with putting together care packages for the ongoing distribution. We believe that together we will lift each other up, and recover stronger and more resilient than ever. We got this!