MARCIA CROOKS, a 56-year-old resident of Mark Lane in Kingston, expressed her gratitude on Wednesday as she was fêted at the Gordon House Christmas Treat for the elderly.

The annual event, put on by the staff at Gordon House, was held on the premises of the legislature in Kingston.

"From the treat start, I have been coming here. I find it very interesting and nice, they are also very accommodating and treat us very well. They give us many things we can use at home in these packages such as mixed vegetables and chicken to help us throughout the Christmas season," Crooks told The Gleaner.

grew over the years

Monica Robinson, coordinator of the event, said the residents from the surrounding communities have been enjoying the event since its inception in 2002.

"We started by catering to the children in the environment from communities such as Mark Lane and John's Lane. It grew over the years, then we decided to cater to the elderly as well. We provide programmes such as dancing, the singing of carols and other things," Robinson said.

She added: "We put together a care package that contains a good number of items in it, such as grocery items and toiletries. It is a nice little package and anybody would want it, we have come a long way as we started with around 50 people and now we are helping 132."

The National Health Fund and the Diabetes Association of Jamaica provided the elderly with health tips and hypertension tests.

"We can see the need of these people caused by harsh economic situations, so this is how we as a group at the Parliament have sought to respond. We also know that the elderly people normally have degenerated diseases, that is why we are having their blood sugar level tested and their blood pressure, as it is very critical," Robinson commented.

"We are happy to be able to share with the community, because we can see what is happening around us. We are hoping that this will grow going into the future and, hopefully, we can support more persons."

alessandro.boyd@gleanerjm.com