Skip-a-meal

Skip-A-Meal is a Kiwanis International branded programme which encourages Kiwanians and friends of Kiwanis to skip a meal and donate the funds to projects focused on helping children and building communities.

Over the years the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston has participated in the Skip-A-Meal initiative, in an effort to raise funds to support our service projects. In 2019 the focus of our Skip-a-Meal initiative was to raise funds for the Homestead Place of Safety, which was the main project of the Community Services Committee. The facility is State-operated and houses over 60 girls between the ages of 10 and 18. These girls are deemed to be in need of care and protection. Based on the participation of members, their families, and friends of Kiwanis. The Club was able to raise Three Hundred and Seventy-Six Thousand Dollars ($376,000) which was used to pay for internet service to facilitate participation in online classes, host Christmas treats and educational seminars and buy gifts for the young ladies.

This year, the Skip-a-Meal initiative was structured to raise funds for three service committees namely Community Services, Service Leadership Programme (SLP), and Young Children Priority One (YCPO), over a period of 3 months (March 1 – May 31, 2022). The focus of each committee is as follows:

Community Service – Child Development and Empowerment

Providing canes for 10 visually impaired children to help their neurodevelopment.
Procuring learning materials to facilitate multi-sensory (auditory and tactile) learning such as, musical instruments, modelling materials and other manipulative learning materials to improve the school’s vocational skills training programme in agriculture, home economics, industrial arts/woodworking and music.

Service Leadership Programme (SLP) – Skip a Meal, K-onnect fi Real

Provide two (2) schools with full wireless internet service and upgrade the internet service of another two schools.

Suggested Schools

Destowe Bennett Basic School – KCNK K Kids
Harbour View Primary School – KCNK’s K Kids
Arnold Road Methodist Basic School
St. Albans Primary School

Young Children Priority One – Child Care & Development

Design and brand an activity book to be used by children aged 3-5 years old and distribute to the Paediatric Ward at the UHWI and to the K-Kids finalists in Little Bee Competition.

This year, the Skip-a-Meal initiative was structured to raise funds for three service committees – Community Services, Service Leadership Programme (SLP) and Young Children Priority One (YCPO), over a period of 3 months (January – March, 2021). The focus of each committee is as follows:

Community Service – Youth Empowerment and Development
- Providing care packages for 50 teen moms at the Women’s Centre Foundation
Service Leadership Programme – Student Health and Wellness
- Erecting a handwash station and installing a water tank at Destowe Bennett Basic School. The Play area will also be painted
Young Children Priority One – Infant Health and Nutrition
- Procuring branded Screens for the Paediatric Oncology Ward @ UHWI

Our club members and other participants had the opportunity to decide which project they would support and also the level of support they wanted to provide. There were 5 levels of sponsorship; four at the individual level and also Company sponsorship: