By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A massive crowd came to the Sports Centre grounds yesterday as the Fox Foundation gave away $250,000 worth of food vouchers to those in need.

Adrianna Fox, co-founder of the Fox Foundation, said the group wanted to ease some of the hard times many people are experiencing this season.

“We know that this is the Christmas season. We know we’re still in a pandemic. Persons are experiencing hard times and I can honestly feel the energy and the smiles on the person’s face where they are very joyful for the voucher and also we still wanna keep practising social distancing and practising COVID policies where we have sanitiser and you know everyone goes to the grocery store so we give them a grocery bag.”

The foundation has been hosting the giveaway for several years. Yesterday’s event was a drive-thru giveaway.

However, some people complained that because they did not have a car, they could not get any items.

“That ain’t making no sense and people in the car, they coming around twice and getting it,” Anishka Albury complained.

The mother-of-six had to catch the bus to the venue.

Among the masses was mother-of-two Tanya Gibson who has been unemployed for two years.

“It’s really hard, but I go to NGOs and places like churches. They give me a little help,” the 32-year-old said.

Her boyfriend, who has one leg, is also unemployed.

“Our car broke down,” she told The Tribune. “Someone gave us a ride and we walked (the rest of the way).”

She said the giveaway of the $50 voucher yesterday will help her family. “It will help with the kids to get their dinner for Christmas, snacks, whatever. A little goes a long way,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lashanda Bain, 28, said she came with her sister and had been waiting at the site for about an hour. “I’m self-employed. I’m a beautician. I do hair, braiding and stuff like that,” the mother-of-four explained. She said the voucher would help her situation.

When the issue of transportation was brought up Ms Fox said they were not going to turn people without cars away. “I understand that they are here and I’m gonna take my time eventually to go there and give them some (vouchers)... we wanna keep social distancing. The minute we start that we’re gonna have the problem of more persons coming in on their feet and then we break the COVID protocol with social distancing,” she said.