The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THOUSANDS of Bahamians streamed to the national stadium on foot and in long lines of vehicles for a chance at a $75 food voucher and a bowl of chicken souse yesterday, with some people arriving as early as 2pm the previous day and waiting overnight as the Fox Foundation pushed ahead with its annual Christmas giveaway.

Organisers said they aimed to distribute $500,000 worth of vouchers to 5,000 people. The vouchers are redeemable at any Super Value in the country.

By morning, the scale of the turnout was visible well beyond the stadium grounds. Lines of vehicles stretched across highways and roundabouts leading to the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, while those on foot gathered behind low metal barriers as Fox Foundation volunteers moved through the distribution process.

Inside the crowd, the giveaway doubled as an impromptu snapshot of how many people said they are coping with rising prices — and what they think the government has done about it.

First-time attendee Myrtis Major, who waited on foot for an hour and a half before receiving her voucher, said the $75 would go “a long way” toward groceries. Still, she said change was needed beyond a one-day distribution.

“We need to get rid of this government, because the cost of living is very high in this country,” she said, adding that food and electricity costs continue to rise. “Right now, I think this administration hasn’t been doing a good job for the past four and a half years.”

Shakira Gibson, attending for the fourth year, said she arrived at 5am but still had not received a voucher when she spoke with The Tribune. The mother of two said $75 would not stretch far with current food prices.

“I come out here for that?” she said.

Ms Gibson added that she has been unemployed for nearly two years. “Everything going up except the pay,” she added when asked about the Davis administration’s performance.

Others described the voucher as helpful, even if it barely kept pace with prices.

Kenisha Thompson said she initially forgot about the giveaway but stopped when she saw the crowd. She described the cost of living as “a bit high” and said she appreciated the assistance.

Cinderella Williams said the voucher would primarily benefit her child, while she continues to juggle expenses as best she can.

“The cost of living is very high these days. Prices change a lot, and I ain’t gonna lie, it’s very hard, especially when you have work, rent, light bills and everything else,” she said.

Ms Williams said she does not closely follow politics, describing the Davis administration’s performance as “varied,” while speaking positively of her previous local representative, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna Martin.

For Daphne Cumberland, the giveaway was connected to the people she supports beyond her own home. She said she helps others and still has to make her own money stretch despite having a government job. She said she supports five children and has taken in a mother and child.

Ms Cumberland said the voucher would help offset the cost of necessities such as newborn clothing, pampers, wipes and milk.

Chris Gilbert echoed the pressure of high prices but said the voucher mattered.

“Every little helps,” he said.

For Derrick Stewart, a grandfather with nine grandchildren from six children, the voucher was simply another way to support family.

“If I can go to food stores and get vouchers for groceries, I get it and give it to them,” he said, expressing gratitude to the Fox Foundation and its founder Adrian Fox.

Elderly Bahamian David Humes, a mechanic by trade, framed the cost of living as part of a wider failure to prioritise Bahamians. He pointed to deteriorating road conditions as a daily burden that damages vehicles and increases repair costs.

“I fix cars every day. These cars used to be a couple hundred dollars to fix—now it’s hundreds and hundreds,” Mr Humes said. “The owner sometimes put pressure on the mechanics, because they expect the mechanic to do it for little, when it shouldn’t be.”

He argued that revenue from road traffic fees and vehicle-related taxes should be reinvested into repairs rather than what he described as wasteful government spending. He also raised concerns about import duties and taxes on vehicle parts, saying those costs are passed on to customers, and warned that Bahamians are being sidelined as land and opportunities are increasingly granted to non-Bahamians.

“You got people out here hungry, and for months, for years, the government don’t try to accommodate them,” he said. “Even if you can’t take them off the street, feed them—do something.”

Fox Foundation co-founder Adrianna Fox said the sight of people lining up from the previous afternoon was “shocking,” but she said it also made the point the foundation has been seeing for years.

“It tells a story that the people of The Bahamas are still in need, and we need more corporate sponsors out here—not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year,” she said.

She thanked the Royal Bahamas Police Force for assisting with crowd and traffic management, adding that after 11 years, many attendees are familiar with the flow of the giveaway.

She also said the organisation will undergo a full rebrand in the coming year, marking what she described as a new phase after more than a decade of work.

"We’re rebranding the logo, rebranding the colour. We’re rebranding what we do," she said, adding that the changes will reflect the foundation’s broader scope and that much of its work is done outside public view.

“What we post is probably one percent of what we do on a yearly basis,” she said. “This is just something that we do so people can see the Fox Foundation, but as a brand, the Fox Foundation believe in betterment of Bahamian people on a daily basis.”

She said scholarships and other initiatives will remain central to the foundation’s mission, stressing that the rebrand is meant to strengthen the organisation’s focus rather than change it.