Orderly lines as Living Water gives out 700 hampers

On Friday morning more than 700 people received hampers at the Living Water Community in Port of Spain.

This time social distancing was observed, with the help of more than 20 police officers.

Last Friday the queues turned into a crowd and the hamper distribution was shut down by police after desperate, frustrated people abandoned the lines and surged forward in the hope of getting a hamper. Some were turned away empty-handed.

This week uniformed police, in three groups, kept order in the lines, which stretched along the pavement north of Keate Street.

It was the fourth hamper distribution by the LWC from its base on upper Frederick Street.

The first people to line up arrived at 10pm on Thursday under police supervision, and more joined as the as night wore on.

At 6am sharp, the LWC opened its doors and began serving the first 20 people.

Those in line – all locals – stood a metre apart, in keeping with social distancing protocols.

One man told Newsday after receiving his hamper, "I am really proud of the TT people, we demonstrated a high level of awareness and love for ourselves and others."

Those in the queue coming down from Keate Street were first processed at the car park at the LWC building, a short distance north of New Street.

There volunteers handed out numbers. Then the recipients were sent into the building in groups of 20. Inside, volunteers gave them breakfast and then handed out hampers.

Speaking to the media, Rhonda Maingot, director of the LWC, acknowledged that the distribution was better organised this time.

"There is more support in general, more police, and between 30 and 40 people collaborated within the headquarters, and the population also understood that we must maintain order in order to continue advancing in the face of difficulties," said Maingot.

She repeated that this initiative is only for local people.

Maingot told the media that the LWC can give out about 800 bags of food.

It is continuing to accept donations from individuals, companies or organisations from Monday to Thursday from 8am-4pm to give out at the next distribution, scheduled for next Friday, May 15.

Last week the LWC distributed more than 1,000 bags of food over three days.