This year’s Christmas Give
initiative will benefit Cayman Food Bank.

Last Saturday saw thousands turn out to
watch the beloved tradition of Camana Bay’s annual Tree Lighting.
As Santa pushed the lever to “on” and the town lit up into a
Christmas wonderland, Saint Nick also officially kicked off a busy
calendar of holiday events at Camana Bay.

Along with this busy calendar, the
season is also launching the start of the Camana Bay Christmas Give,
an annual initiative to help the community give back to those in need
to help provide a merry Christmas for all.

This year, the Christmas Give benefits
Cayman Food Bank, which seeks to end island-wide hunger, malnutrition
and poverty. Cayman Food Bank takes a different approach to
traditional food banks by freezing perishable foods before
distributing them to food pantries throughout the island, thereby
minimising food waste.

“We are trying to link two problems
we have – immense food waste and people going hungry,” explained
Woody Foster, a founding member of Cayman Food Bank and managing
director at Foster’s supermarkets, which is heavily involved in the
food bank’s work, donating much of the food that is distributed
throughout the year. “There’s still a lot more to be done, but it
is rewarding to see food being put to use rather than wasted.”

Cayman Food Bank had its ribbon cutting
in December 2017, so this Christmas will mark the organisation’s
two-year anniversary, Mr. Foster added. However, it has already
enjoyed significant growth. “Within the second half of our first
year of operations, we were able to coordinate distribution of the
food to those in need through food pantries located at churches
across the island,” he explained. “We currently have six pantries
we donate food to, and we also work with the Needs Assessment Unit.”

Support Cayman Food Bank’s valuable
work by attending the Cayman Islands premiere of the much-anticipated
sequel, Frozen 2. The film will first show on Grand Cayman this
Thursday, 21 November at Camana Bay Cinema, in a special screening
starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets are CI$25 or families can take
advantage of a family pack of four tickets for CI$80. If ticket
buyers bring a non-perishable food donation to the Visitor Centre
when collecting their tickets, they will also receive a voucher for a
free small popcorn and drink combo. For more details, call
+1.345.640.4000.

Stop by the Visitor Centre any time
throughout the holiday season to collect a reusable Camana Bay bag.
Included with it will be a copy of Cayman Food Bank’s reverse
advent calendar, with daily suggestions of food items to donate. If
you fill the bag and return it to the Visitor Centre, all food will
be sent to the food bank to be distributed.

Other initiatives
going on throughout the season include a fun cascading coin race in
the cinema lobby, where children (and adults!) can donate spare
change, and a Festive Dress Down Day, which sees those who work in
Camana Bay dressing in their festive gear in exchange for a donation
to the Give.

Also, register the whole family to
participate in Cayman Food Bank’s Santa Run on Saturday, 14
December at 6:30 a.m. This jolly jog around the Camana Bay Town
Centre is full of festive fun, and proceeds from registration fees
benefit the Give. Registration forms are available at the Camana Bay
Visitor Centre on Market Street, or online at camanabay.com/holidays.

“We need to raise funds year round,
but especially at Christmas time you want to be sure people have food
on the table,” Mr. Foster added. “Working with Camana Bay on the
Christmas Give is a great way for us to achieve this goal at this
time of year.”

ABOUT CAMANA BAY

A destination within a destination,
Camana Bay is a vibrant town located in the heart of Grand Cayman in
the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory.

Situated on 685 acres between Seven
Mile Beach and the North Sound, this mixed-use master-planned
community is one of the first examples of New Urbanism in the
Caribbean.

Developed by Dart Real Estate, Camana
Bay offers more than 650,000 square feet
of commercial office and retail space as well as 63 luxury apartments
available for long-term lease, public spaces for all to enjoy,
world-class shopping and dining, as well as family-friendly
entertainment, events and attractions.

For more information, visit
camanabay.com and keep up with
the latest developments on Facebook
and follow us on Instagram.