Trainer gets charitable licence for school lunch programme
A personal trainer who committed himself to keeping schoolchildren healthy and properly fed has received charity status to continue his efforts.
Hafid James has spent the past four years delivering healthy meals to pupils at Dellwood Middle School through the Stephen Lee Helping Hands Foundation — a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting pupils in need.
Mr Lee, whose older brother, John Lee Jr, is a partner with Mr James in the healthy meals programme, was a promising athlete who lost his life on the island’s roads at age 20 in January 2007.
The foundation created in his memory formally became charity No 1078 last Friday.
Now Mr James, a bodybuilder, has his sights set on expanding the foundation’s healthy living programme by launching an innovative athletics programme this January at The Berkeley Institute.
Mr James noted that the number of recipients of his food programme had grown over the years, which he believed was a result of increasing awareness.
He explained: “When we first started, there were about nine students. We’re serving about 15 to 17 now and that’s just for one school.”
Mr James added: “Healthier foods are more expensive and the prices for everything are going up, so you’re going to have more families in certain hardships, where sometimes they’re just struggling to get general meals.”
Mr James said he got the idea while part of a group called Sail Away Soca, a party cruise line that made an effort to donate cash raised every year to charity.
He explained that a Dellwood teacher one year told him the school had students who would end up going hungry if they were not provided with meals.
Mr James added: “There have been enough studies to show it’s harder for a child to study and learn if they’re hungry but at the same time it’s hard for someone to focus if they don’t have the nutrients your body needs to focus, to concentrate, to absorb certain things.
“Being a health coach and a nutritionist, I understand the importance of a meal, so I said ‘OK, let’s shift gears and donate meals for this year’.”
On top of his feeding programme, Hafid James plans to use the Stephen Lee Helping Hands Foundation to start a programme at The Berkeley Institute next January called “Literacy through Athletics”.
It aims to build lifelong healthy habits by combining young athletes’ training and nutrition with academic conditions.
Mr James explained: “They are not allowed to fail more than one class, they’ll have to go through a reading list and they’ll have to do community service.”
The lifestyle coach said, in the short-term, pupils would graduate as stronger and smarter athletes.
In the long-term, however, he said the youngsters would pick up life skills and healthy habits that could help them avoid lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
“The same things that will help prevent them from having cholesterol issues are the same things that are going to help build muscle.
“So we don’t have to get into ‘hey, I don’t want you to get this disease,’ I just want them to think ‘let’s see how good I feel with this lifestyle’ and they’re more likely to keep it.”
Mr James said he followed the concept of a “balanced plate,” which made sure children received vegetables, carbohydrates and healthy fats while staying away from processed foods.
He designs the nutrient-dense meal plan each day and forwards it to chefs at the Jamaican Grill, who go on to prepare and deliver the meals to the school.
Mr James said that, for security reasons, he does not have any contact with the youngsters.
However, he said the counsellors have informed him of a noticeable improvement with their pupils.
He said: “The meals are being eaten, they’re enjoying it and they feel better, because now they actually have lunch at the school.”
Mr James said the success of his programme had inspired him to apply for charity status, which would help boost sponsorship.
He added that, with more sponsors and more revenue, he hoped to expand into other schools.
David Thomas, the manager of Jamaican Grill, is happy to help feed the pupils.
He said: “As someone who attended Dellwood as a child, it means a lot to now be part of giving back to the next generation.
“Every meal we prepare is more than just food — it’s an investment in a child’s ability to learn, grow and believe in themselves.
“I’m proud that Jamaican Grill can play a role in helping ensure no student has to learn on an empty stomach.”
• For more information, e-mail info@helpinghandsbda.org
You must be Registered or to post comment or to vote.
