MONTEGO BAY, ST. JAMES — While most six-year-olds were settling into their morning lessons on January 29, 2026, the Grade 1 students from Harrison Memorial Preparatory School were busy proving that you are never too small to make a massive impact. The initiative was a collaborative effort between the school; the Community Services the Children’s Ministries Department of West Jamaica Conference.
A Grade 1 class from Harrison Memorial Preparatory School, accompanied by their teacher, Mrs. Ardythe Brown, stand alongside members of the Community Services Federation and the Children’s Ministries Director of the West Jamaica Conference, Mrs. Carol Smythe-James (far right). :: Photo credit: Contributed
Dressed in their school uniforms and guided by their teacher, Mrs. Ardythe Brown, the young students visited the Cornwall Regional Outpatient Clinics. Their mission? To serve hot meals to patients and staff, transforming the clinic grounds of the West Jamaica Conference into a hub of hospitality.
Following the distribution at the clinic, a team from the Conference’s Community Services body visited the Open-Heart Charitable Mission where several indigent and homeless individuals received hot meals and cool beverages.
An outpatient at the Cornwall Regional Hospital Clinic accepts a warm meal and a copy of Priority Magazine from two Grade 1 students of Harrison Memorial Preparatory School. :: Photo credit: Contributed
“We are elated in having the students participate in this initiative,” said Carol Smythe James, Children’s Ministries Director at WJC. “I strongly believe this will help them to learn kindness and generosity as they give back to the community to those who are sick or in need of their care and support.”
The atmosphere at the outpatient clinic was one of gratitude. Patients, many of whom had traveled early and waited hours for medical attention, were greeted by beautiful singing, bright smiles and warm meals served by the small hands of the Grade 1 students.
Women and Children’s Ministries Director of the West Jamaica Conference, Mrs. Carol Smythe-James (left), presents a meal to a beneficiary during the food distribution exercise at the Open-Heart Charitable Mission in Montego Bay. :: Photo credit: Contributed
The team used Philippians 4:13 as their guiding light for the day’s activities; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Altogether, 450 meals were distributed at each location. The outreach activity was a tangible expression of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s commitment to community welfare.