Sunday's Children

A Sunday in Jamaica is a lazy day. Breakfast is late and unhurried. Then maybe back to bed. Dinner is early and unhurried. And early to bed. Not this Sunday. On this Sunday I get to meet the reason for Mangia876. At 5 p.m. I went to meet the girls of the St. Andrew Parish Church Girl's Home. And I was so excited. We had already done all the work, raised an amazing amount of money and now I was back in Jamaica ready to give it away. And so armed with money, muffins and a laptop full of Mangia876 event pictures me and four amazing friends  members headed out.

When I got there I confirmed what I had long since suspected. It isn't about the money. It is about the children.

Most of them are wary at the start. Not everyone greeted me with smiles. But the youngest one did. She is absolutely beautiful and her smile is wide and welcoming. She is going to be a doctor. Some walk by and I know they are pretending that they don't see me, know who I am or why I am here. And I wonder whether I would not have done the same if I were living here too. Here is clean. There is a huge tv room with a number of long sofas and a large screen tv now loudly playing that American perennial Seventh Heaven but here is home while not being home. And I get the feeling that they might feel I am just one more in another line of strangers who will parachute into their lives for a day, leave my cheque then disappear. I know I am not that but I want them to feel that.

So I tease, cajole and we talk or sometimes just sit together so we can get to know each other. And I saw simple generosity. One friend wanted pomegranates and climbed up to pick a few but they were only dried husks. Her disappointment didn't last as one of the girls went and climbed another tree and brought back four lovely specimens.

We talked. About the careers they are going to have.  And I could see personalities, even the twins who look somewhat alike are unique in expression. I have no doubt the funniest girl in the room will be the actress she has set her heart on becoming. When two told me they wanted to be executive chefs I could see them working with our own Chef Sabrina Gidda creating wonderful recipes at Mangia876 and in their own restaurants. I can see their futures. But I know all futures are only possibilities until they become real.

But I could also see that I was wrong about what I said at the start the work has only just begun. It is going to take work to make all our dreams real. Will you help?

Mangia876 - Launching the way Forward

Last Saturday Mangia876 had its first event and it was perfect. Don't get me wrong there was a whole lot happening under the surface but like swans we glided serenely through the evening while paddling furiously. We were able to serve up a magnificent evening.

It was perfect because we were able to do what said we would do. We wanted to create a network which represented the international nature of our lives here. Check.

We wanted people in that network to meet one more person they hadn't known before and learn something new about anything. Jamaican, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Ghanaian, Indian, South African, British ( and the list is by no means exhaustive) culture, food, attitude. Anything. Check

We wanted you to taste the wonderful blend of particular cuisines; Jamaican & Italian fused dishes cooked by our amazing British-born Indian chef. And love it. The food was amazing, so much so we had to upgrade rankings from Mangia Irie to Mangia Wicked. Check.

We wanted more than anything to raise funds for the benefit of our first project: the St Andrew Parish Church Girls' Home. We wanted you to see that there are no problems too large to tackle if we acknowledge that the tiniest contribution can make a huge difference and if we do it as a community. The accounts are in and from ticket sales, donations leading up to the night and donations and pledges on the night itself we made£4,944.52. Check.

This means we are already near that five thousand pound threshold which will allow us to become registered with the UK Charities Commission. Check.

And we wanted to move forward with you as a community. At the first event we started our £5.00 per month fund. Five pounds per month might not do much in London town. But each five pounds added to another one makes our pool deeper and our reach longer. And each five pounds can and will go a far way in Jamaica.We are almost complete with our HMRC registration which will allow us to maximise the value of each pound by attaching the Gift Aid tag. Do read about Gift Aid here. Thirteen people signed up for this commitment. We are overwhelmed and grateful. Check.

And next we will head to Jamaica to hand over proceeds, meet the wonderful girls and administrators of the Home and make more connections as we look to expand to other girls' homes. We have only just begun.

The night could not have been a success without the whole community pulling together. Without the Mangia876 project team to whom you were already introduced here and an amazing set of volunteers some of whom were pressed into service on the night but did so with grace and with a smile. Without the extended Mangia876 family in England, Jamaica and Italy who introduced us to their networks, or who was able to track down the Living Legend Mr. Bolt so we could have a signed copy of his biography for auction,or  who provided the perfect mix for the evening with what is now the patented Mangia876 soundtrack nor without the magic spark of the wonderful Skamonics ( we have already liked them on Facebook). Without the amazing sponsorship and donations from Grace Foods which provided the flavour on every dish and National Bakery who provided that special hardo bread base for our bruschetta. Without the warm cooperation of the Jamaican High Commission in London. Nothing works without community.

There is no doubt though that the most important element was you. You ate our food, you danced, you talked, you sang. You went into your pockets and filled our bowl. We owe you everything. And though thank you does not seem to be enough, grazie mille is perfect.