Stella Maris Students Receive Essential Care Packages Through Community Support

Students at Stella Maris School were gifted care packages during a brief handing-over ceremony today. The packages, which included personal care items, a bag, and a water bottle, were made possible through a collaboration between the school and four supporting organisations: UNICEF, the Belize City Council, the Social Security Board (SSB), and the Lions Club.

Each student received a package, with additional supplies stored for future needs. Teacher Sheree Salgado explained that many students at the school come from challenging backgrounds. “Each student received a package today; each boy and girl, and we also have some over so that we can store for them so that when they don’t have, we have for them,” Salgado said. She added, “We know where these students come from, we know the background of some of these students, we know the parents, and so it is very important.”

The initiative stemmed from a desire to provide more than just school supplies. Sharie Castillo, Treasurer of the Lions Sub Umbra Florio Club, noted that the organisation wanted to address other critical needs. “We always give school bags, and we have back-to-school drives, and they are nice initiatives. We tend to look beyond school bags. There are needs that kids have which parents can’t provide, and as donors, the Lions, we serve. So, we tend to look more beyond a school bag, and we felt like the care packages would be best for the students at Stella Maris,” Castillo said.

Financial contributions from the Belize City Council and SSB helped procure the supplies.