A cheque for $200,000 was presented by Marlene Street-Forrest, general manager of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE), last Thursday at its downtown Kingston headquarters.

"We are grateful for this donation from the JSE," said Cecil Foster, president of Adventist-laypersons Services and Industries (ASi) - East Jamaica Chapter.

"We recognise and accept the JSE as partners and sponsors of the Inn. The funds received will go towards building a one-night, drop-in facility for street people who need a place to rest their head in place of the cold and sometimes wet surfaces of our streets."

Restoring downtown

She said the JSE's contribution to the venture was in line with its 40th-anniversary celebration and its commitment to the restoration of downtown Kingston.

The Inn, operated by the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the ASI - East Jamaica Chapter, currently feeds about 400 persons, twice per week, Sundays and Wednesday.

The facility, which was established in 2007, provides needy persons with a hot meal, along with clothing, shoes, a daily bath, free medical check-ups and medication, where necessary, on a quarterly basis. There are plans to have the Inn provide skills training in carpentry, dressmaking, shoemaking and computer technology.

"We are asking other corporate organisations, our members and well-thinking individuals, to join us in this community effort to make the lives of our street people and other less-fortunate Jamaicans better," Foster added.