By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Food Distribution Task Force chairperson Susan Larson said miscommunication caused 1,500 food assistance recipients in parts of New Providence to get under-valued vouchers this week.

The recipients received vouchers worth $20 when they should have received vouchers worth $40.

Ms Larson said “there was a miscommunication regarding our decisions” at a weekly coordinating meeting earlier this week.

She said zone leaders met Wednesday night and yesterday morning to implement steps to correct the mistake.

“Reserve financial resources were directed at the affected zone and recipients in the area will receive an additional voucher to make up the difference,” she said.

Philip Smith, director of the Bahamas Feeding Network and member of the Food Distribution Task Force, noted that recipients will receive $40 each week until the end of October before a new programme begins in November. He couldn’t say how much money people will receive then.

The amount of money people receive has been steadily declining because the numbers of people in need increased “tremendously over the last four months,” he said.

He added that the programme, which is currently closed for new registration, serves 55,000 homes containing an average of four people per household.

“Some have as many as six, seven people,” he said.

Mr Smith noted that the government’s allocation to the task force declined from $16m for three months to $10m for three months.

“If we could take it to $5 million per month that would do well,” he said, appealing for donations.

Ms Larson called this week on people who have returned to work to update their employment status on the task force’s RAPID database and withdraw from the programme.

“Going forward, what we need to do is to focus on those persons who remain unemployed and help them,” she reiterated in yesterday’s press release.

“In this day and age, people often jump to the most negative conclusions. Justifiably, the issuance of mis-valued vouchers created serious concern among the recipients. But it was a mistake. Our workers and volunteers should not have had to suffer so terribly and unnecessarily from the backlash.”

She added: “People need to understand that the value of assistance they have received over the past few months might not be sustainable in the future. The government is working feverishly to revive our economy. Still, the basic fact of the matter is food assistance needs wider assistance. Without it, we will be forced to change our strategy. If any person or entity is interested in contributing please reach out.”

The task force currently offers either food parcels or vouchers to its recipients, with 80 percent of its assistance taking the form of parcels.

Many recipients voiced frustration about receiving the $20 voucher on Thursday.

“Y’all might as well don’t give us nothing if y’all (going) to give us $20,” a frustrated mother of six told a local broadcaster.

Another woman said the voucher was first valued at $70 before it was reduced to $50 and then $20 this week.

“Some of us have more than three children living in our homes and $20 can’t do nothing for them. To go to Super Value with $20, you coming out there with nothing,” another mother told EyeWitness News this week.