Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

CIBC FirstCaribbean responds to plea to restock FSN pantry

CIBC FirstCaribbean responds to plea to restock FSN pantry

A couple of weeks ago, the Family Support Network (FSN) put out an S.O.S. on social media calling attention to the dire straits of its pantry. CIBC FirstCaribbean responded on November 1 with a donation of just over $2,900 to cover all the items on the not-for-profit's list of needs.

Mr. Amory Jervis, Country Manager of the bank, spoke with Ms. Judith Charles, Board Member of the FSN and received an update since the bank's last donation at Christmas.

"While we have seen the demand for help level off since the start of the year, we still have a fluctuating number of households with between 102 and 122 people in families registering on a monthly basis with the Family Support Network for 2022 so far. The assistance we strive to provide is with life basics such as food and shelter," said Ms. Charles.

"Unfortunately, food is never a "once and done" situation so we are always in urgent need of staples for the pantry to make sure that families can have basic meals - preferably daily. While we receive generous and ad hoc contributions from all sectors of the community, the donation from CIBC FirstCaribbean comes at a low point of the calendar year when we struggle to provide essential groceries to our client base. The FSN Board and its clients are truly grateful for the support." 

The FSN is a non-profit, non-governmental, organisation (NGO) whose primary aim is to aid individuals, couples and families affected by domestic violence. Since Hurricane Irma, the FSN has found itself working with individuals and families affected by other factors including the remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hike in the basic cost of living that has had a devastating impact on people's socioeconomic situations. 

The FSN also provides access to counselling where required and works with a network of volunteers and pro-bono service providers to address immediate and unexpected needs. The organisation sets a budget each year designed to support the delivery of short and long term solutions to its clients.

Mr. Jervis presented the cheque to Ms. Charles reiterating the bank's longstanding commitment to supporting the FSN's work in the community.

“The Bank and its staff have the work of the FSN close to heart and will always vote in favour of an activity where we can contribute to efforts to help those in need," said Mr. Jervis. "Since well before my time here, in fact since 2012, I know that our Corporate and Social Responsibility committees have been hands-on with leading drives around this time of year for food hampers and gifts for the children. They also have donated funds and forfeited internal seasonal celebrations to support our community through the FSN. We are pleased that this year we are able to make an early Christmas donation to help restock the pantry."

The FSN, which serves clients in Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada, is located on Chalwell Street in Road Town. Beneficiaries and donors can register and collect or drop off items Mondays through Fridays and are asked to make an appointment with the office in advance on (284) 542 2085 to ensure the privacy of its clients.  The emergency telephone number is (284) 499 0999.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×