Photo: Members of the 2021-2022 USM’s Projects and Special Initiatives team organizing lunches to be distributed to people on NCU’s main campus in Mandeville, Manchester during their special ‘Valentine Lunch Date’ initiative.

Photo Credit: Geovanni Baker

By: Tyasha James

The United Student Movement (USM) of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) celebrated Valentine’s Day by giving out free lunches to students and passersby on the main campus, dubbing the event, ‘Valentine Lunch Date.’

Associate Director of Projects and Special Initiatives for the USM, Demarco Robinson told the Hilltop Trumpet that his sector has an ongoing lunch program.

“The lunch program is an initiative we [the USM] try to do at least once each semester. We feel it is necessary because sometimes students don’t have money to purchase lunch,” he said. 

When asked what was the inspiration for ‘Valentine Lunch Date,’ Robinson said, “Valentine’s is a day to show love; hence, it was our way of showing love on that day.”

The USM distributed some 50 lunches, 30 patties, pizzas, chocolate and red velvet cakes, juice, and water to people on the campus. 

Advisor to the USM Projects and Special Initiatives team, Nicordo Wilson, judged the event to be a successful one which had a far-reaching impact. 

“This was the first major initiative for the Spring semester, and I believe that it went according to plan. Everyone who benefited had a positive reaction to the initiative. The smiles on the faces of those who were served says a lot about how far-reaching this lunch program was. A number of people were waiting a few minutes before the program started. I would say that they were looking forward to the initiative,” Wilson said.

Communication Studies student, Khadeja Bryan, had the same sentiments of Wilson, and she said the initiative was a great one by the Projects team.

With the initiative being so positively received by the NCU family, it is the hope that it will be continued by successive USM regimes.