By Shauna Jemmott

THE Night Shelter has been equipped with 140 new mattresses as the charitable organisation Food for the Poor (FFTP) strengthened its support, bringing comfort to the destitute.

The organisation made the timely donation last Friday, adding to a previous contribution of men’s clothing, detergents, cleaning materials and blankets to help improve the living conditions of some 140 residents of the home.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Social Protection, Administrator of the Shelter Sheila Veerasammy was pleased with the donation, especially at a time when there is an influx of residents at the shelter.
“This is an ongoing process by Food For The Poor and other private agencies to help the street people with no place of abode… there is a continuing influx of residents,” said Veerasammy, who recently replaced Dr Clive Jagan as an opposition legislator in Parliament.
She added that as the physical infrastructure at the Night Shelter improves, those seeking shelter at the facility managed by the Ministry of Social Protection have increased in number.
The Ministry said some of the residents were victims of a daily drenching by business entrepreneurs who wanted them removed from sleeping in front of their enterprises.
Veerasammy has been reaching out to the local corporate sector for assistance and this, she noted, continues to yield fruit. She also praised support by Harris Paints and Continental Agency who provided paint to give the Night Shelter a much-needed ‘face-lift’.
While the physical infrastructure of the Shelter is improving “so does the quality of the daily meals,” Veerasammy assured.
To help lift the morale of the residents and workers of the state agency, the National Task Force, under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, recently provided technical support through the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to boost water supply there.
“This has reduced our water problem significantly,” Veerasammy said.
Meanwhile, Mr Compton Giddings, Field Officer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Kent Vincent of the FFTP have held discussions with Veerasammy to determine the immediate and long-term needs of the Night Shelter which the charitable organisation wants to continue supporting.