Government commits to commercial kitchen to feed school children and vulnerable persons. 

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(l-r) Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley and the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Rodolphe Samuel

 

PHILIPSBURG— Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley and the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Rodolphe Samuel commit to sustainability of commercial kitchen in the shelter project.

In 2020, the Government of Sint Maarten, under the 11th European Development Fund, B-Envelope, signed an agreement to execute a shelter project. This project consisting of the construction of two shelters, has been commissioned to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) who is responsible for the design and construction of the shelters.  Besides the objective of sheltering persons in need during a disaster, one of the shelters will also feature a commercial kitchen to facilitate the  execution of food programs for schoolchildren, ensure provisions for the feeding of homeless persons and in times of the disaster, to prepare food for shelterees and volunteers.

Recently, the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, Omar Ottley and the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Rodolphe Samuel, signed an agreement committing to the sustainability of the kitchen by ensuring that the operational costs are taken along in the national budget of 2024 and beyond.

In this manner, both Ministries want to ensure the provision of healthy meals for schoolchildren and persons in vulnerable positions.