This year, Ambrose and Maria Carter of AMMAR Empowerment Network want to give at least 100 vulnerable families a Bajan Christmas meal including the centrepiece dish, a ham.

Aware that food prices are high with the minimum cost of a ham hovering around $90, AMMAR Empowerment Network is grateful that CIBC FirstCaribbean has stepped in to give the families a ‘good’ Christmas meal, this year.

With that philosophy as a hallmark, she said the bank was pleased and thanked AMMAR Empowerment Network for the opportunity to be part of their effort to spread Christmas cheer to the families.

In expressing their gratitude, the Carters said the bank’s donation will help them achieve their goal. They said that they conduct due diligence to ensure that the people most in need are assisted, but high on their list of people for hampers were families with a large number of children.

“I hope that we can eventually help 150 families,” Ambrose Carter said, adding that since the COVID-19 pandemic, requests for help generally have increased and noticeable was the number of fathers seeking assistance on their children’s behalf.

AMMAR Empowerment Network, a biblically based Non-Governmental Organisation which has been in operation for over 30 years, has a series of programmes including a back-to-school drive, parenting classes, Easter teen girls camp, and next year a boy’s camp will be added.

Mr. Carter said the NGO sees itself as biblically based due to its focus on bible principles among them helping the poor, elderly and needy, in essence, the vulnerable.  The network is encouraging others to assist it either as volunteers or by providing resources or both.