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A visitor recently stopped by and shared our story. You can watch the video here.
9 MAY 2022 by Michele Guy, Organiser
The chickens are doing well, and the progress made by Mr. King and his team has been so great that we are ready to set up a new coop to house additional chickens. Furthermore, the Little Bay School is expanding their animal farm to include pigs, which will provide more protein for the children.
4 APRIL 2021 by Michele Guy, Organiser
We are now up to 1,100 chickens. See the video to catch all of the action.
This has become a community project, one that has brought everyone together to work towards a common goal. Everyone takes pride in the chicken farm and works relentlessly as if the chickens were their babies.
We lost a few chicks when the weather got cold and rainy, and everyone was heartbroken. But the pens have been dried out, more heat lamps have been installed, and we are back in form.
The Kiwanis Club of Carefree had their Board Meeting on March 30th, and unfortunately at this time, their mandate is to only support projects in their zip code. Oh well…we tried. But it was very disappointing to all of us.
The Scotia Foundation just yesterday announced that they will no longer be funding the nutrition program for the school, so this project is timely.
We shall persevere! We trust that the rest of the funds will come to us through Divine Intervention and the Grace of God. Donors will show up out of the ether.
Thank you again to all of you who have donated to this chicken farm, and to those of you who will. What Mr. King, his staff, the children, and the community have achieved with the donations so far is nothing short of a miracle. And we expect many more miracles as we move forward…
6 MARCH 2021 by Michele Guy, Organiser
We are now up to 800 chicks and chickens…just over halfway to our goal! The support has been tremendous. And the work that Mr. King has been doing with the funds received so far is beyond belief. Water tanks, and pumps for the chicks, heat lamps to keep them warm at night, feeders, expanded coops. There are going to be 1,500 chickens when we reach our self-sustaining goal. Mr. King is to be applauded for his vision, and commitment to such a monumental project.
Every day, as I work with Mr. King on this project, I learn more and more about him. What an honor. This last week he received a Community Heroes Award. With each update, I will share a little more of what I have learned about Mr. King and what he has been able to achieve in only two years as Principal at the Little Bay All Ages School.
25 FEBRUARY 2021 by Michele Guy, Organiser
Mr. King purchased 300 more chicks and the feed for them for the 6-week cycle before they can be harvested, and used by the school, or sold. He has also purchased the chicken wire/mesh to enclose the new coop expansion to house another 300 chickens. We are almost halfway there!
The Kiwanis Club of Carefree, liaising with the Kiwanis Club of Negril Point, has put forward our request for funding to the Board to support this project. On March 23rd, that funding request will be presented to the Kiwanis Club of Carefree Board and a decision will be made. This is very exciting news!! Very exciting news…
12 FEBRUARY 2021 by Michele Guy, Organiser
The overall financial goal for the chicken farm to become self-sustaining is USD$14,700. This includes purchasing the chicks, feeding them for 6 weeks, and purchasing the materials to expand the chicken coops to house 1,500 chickens. This allows 300 chickens to be used to feed the school children each week and the remainder to be sold to generate revenue to purchase more chicks. And the cycle continues.
We are a third of the way there! With only 4 donors, we have raised USD $5,050 so far. My cup runneth over!
Mr. King comes up with a plan to feed all children at the Little Bay Primary School, not only the children who can afford meals. By using the money from the Ministry of Education, and the financial support of the local community, he decides to purchase chicks and raise them to supply the school canteen.
Little Bay relies on Tourism for revenue to sustain the community members. With COVID and travel restrictions, Tourism has all but stopped. Jamaica as a whole has also suffered and therefore Ministry of Education is now only providing $14 USD per day to feed the 186 children at the school.
Mr. Keron King, the Principal at the School, shares with Cornerstone Jamaica that his highest need is to get Food Security for the Children. Mr. King says that with the purchase of 300 chicks each week for 5 weeks, he can make the chicken farm raise enough chickens to feed the school children. He can then sell the balance of the chickens to grocery stores, other schools, and the local community to raise enough money to purchase more chicks to continue to cycle.
Over the next week, Cornerstone Jamaica works to come up with the cost to make this vision of food security for the children a reality for the Little Bay School. The total project is established at JMD $2,043,300 JMD or USD $14,700. This amount will allow Mr. King to purchase the materials to expand the chicken coops to house the 1,500 chickens, as well as purchase feed for the chicks.
Mr. King purchases 200 chicks to start heading in the direction of being self-sustaining.
With the collaboration and support of Cornerstone Jamaica, and input and coordination with Kiwanis Carefree of Arizona and the Kiwanis Club of Negril Point Jamaica, a plan is put together to provide support for this project, and perhaps others like it. The vision is to make this a pilot project to demonstrate how other small communities with the proper leadership and support, can become self-sustaining and provide food security for themselves.
A GoFundMe site is set up to collect donations to support the project. Donations start coming in.
The first donation is made by Cornerstone Jamaica founder Gary Robinson. Thank you, thank you, thank you Gary!
Alexis Popovich of Kiwanis Carefree Arizona makes another donation. Thank you, thank you, thank you Alexis!
Jamie Cox from British Columbia Canada provides his financial support for this project. Thank you millions Jamie!
Rich Doyle and Bashi Bubba of Rio Verde, Arizona provide their financial support for the project. Rich’s grandmother, Edith Sutherland from Brownstown, was Jamaican. We are so grateful to you Rich and Bashi.
Within one week, 1/3 of the project cost has been donated. This is fantastic and so very exciting. The chicks are now 3 weeks old. Mr. King has been expanding the chicken coops. Concrete is being poured, wood frames for walls are being erected, and the wire mesh will soon be in place from the first expansion. Mr. King is working diligently to put the donations to the most efficient use and is so grateful to everyone for their financial, logistical, and moral support.
Thank you so much Charlotte Foster Wills of Carefree, Arizona for your donation, connection, and warmth, and for spreading word of this project to your circle of influence.
Thank you Anonymous friend from Northern, Northern Canada for your brilliance and support.
Thank you Sandeep Ganapatiraju from California. My Sedona Mago brother. Your support is such a blessing.
Mr. Ned Miner from Scottsdale, Arizona. Always a scholar and a gentleman. Thank you for your support for this project, and for your donation to Cornerstone Jamaica for computer tablets for the children.
Thank you Mina Mathies of Cave Creek, AZ for supporting us, and for your love for the animals.
Thank you Hal Cowles of Rio Verde, AZ for your continued interest in this project, and for your support. I know you will visit there someday.