BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Community Achiever’s Project (CAP) has ascended to another rung on the ladder of its agriculture development programme with the recent production of canned pumpkin soup.
According to the CAP Director, Victoria Baucom, “We are proud to announce that we are producing our own Home Grown Pumpkin Soup, using Chef Ranger's own secret recipe.”
Baucom informed SKNVibes that the children on the project are currently growing the pumpkins with Sydney ‘Cuppie’ Berkeley and the herbs with her on Berkeley’s Riches of the Earth farm in Half Way Tree.
She also stated that Chef Ranger has volunteered his service in teaching the children how to make the soup while “it is being canned by Anling Lee and her staff and labelled by Alic Plichta”.
“Anling Lee and her staff along with Chef Ranger have partnered with CAP to help us launch our own commercial product,” Baucom added.
The Director said that the product would be launched on Saturday (Aug. 29) from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at S.L Horsford’s Value Mart, where members of the public would have an opportunity to taste and buy.
In her explanation to the birth of this initiative, Baucom said, “As a result of losing our crops because of either not being able to sell them or lack of transportation, CAP has decided we will extend the shelf life of our crops to eliminate waste and to generate and market an entire new line of products.
“We feel it is time for us to introduce the quality of our locally grown crops to everyone who lives and is visiting St. Kitts. Besides our soup is a winner!”
She also informed that the Taiwanese Mission has been very helpful in processing the product, and boys from the project would be making display baskets for the Home Grown Pumpkin Soup under the guidance of Pat MacArthur at the Craft House.
Since its inception in 2005, CAP has made significant progress in educating primary school children. Baucom, who, in the early days, had used her Central street home in Basseterre for an after school programme for some children in her immediate surroundings, said it was originally designed to assist children in reading.
Some two years later, CAP’s scope was broadened with the inclusion of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science, as well as small agricultural initiatives, skills-training and crafts.
Earlier in this year, the project brought together a number of volunteers to assist the children in the various areas of study, of which Baucom views the assistance by all beneficiaries as “very important”.
Among the local volunteers who have committed their support to the project are Karencia Taylor, Al-Wali Muhammad, Leeshaw Hutchinson, Beverly Supersaid and Sydney Berkeley; while additional help comes from Angela Liburd, Suukura Bahinda, Benjamin Mitcham and Dr. Jose Lopez, as well as Peace Corps member Kimberly Matranga.
Baucom said crime is on the increase and it is a national problem in which it is incumbent upon all citizens and residents to assist in finding solutions. She also noted that the educational project had encounters with parents, who often do not exhibit positive parenting skills, and has been challenged by the social dynamics of the communities from which the students come.
She however claimed it is not a hopeless situation and opined that people should not rely on the government for everything.
“The government can’t do everything; it is up to the stakeholders to work together and address the problem. We can do it! This is a small island! There are a lot of problems, but with the educated and talented individuals in this country, we can address the problems and make a difference!”
