SLHTA Launches ‘One Can, One Love’ Food Drive to Foster Support for Families in Need

(Castries, Saint Lucia –Monday, March 2nd 2025)- A new initiative is bringing Saint Lucia’s tourism sector together in support of families in need.

On February 27th, 2026, the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) officially launched its “One Can, One Love” food drive – a programme designed to mobilise staff from member companies to donate non-perishable food items on a fortnightly or monthly basis. These contributions are then distributed to community groups across the island, ensuring essential support reaches those who need it most.

SLHTA Technical Officer for Community Projects, Tamara Amos, emphasized the role the tourism sector plays in uplifting lives. “The SLHTA decided to take on this initiative ‘One Can, One Love’ to just continue on our giving initiative we have each December with the Food Voucher Drive. We noticed the need for us to give back to the communities, not only yearly, but if we could do it monthly. I am very pleased to say that StolenTime was the first property that came onboard and the donation that they gave was really magnificent — they went all out! We are now here to collect that wonderful gesture from the staff. Our next phase is to go into the communities and collaborate with community groups to deliver those food items. We look forward to more member companies coming on board to continue this initiative.”

StolenTime was the first company to answer the call, donating an impressive collection of items to kick off the initiative. Corporate Director of Human Resources at SunSwept Resorts, Genevieve Dixon, explained that the initiative aligned perfectly with the hotel’s own values. “As part of our overall Cares initiative, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are giving back to our communities, playing our part within society and assisting in any way possible. We were very happy to partner with the SLHTA with this initiative, and our team members were very excited in doing so,” she said.

Dixon noted that staff rallied behind the cause wholeheartedly, with each department contributing to the collection. “Team members from every single department donated to the cause. They were actually running little competitions to see which department can donate the most. We had flyers within our team member restaurant, and we just really had a lot of support. When individuals came into Human Resources to visit the office, they also saw a lot of the items there and they were able to learn about the initiative. Caring is what we do and we’re coming from the same communities where these items are going to. Some individuals may even have family members in the facilities that these items are being gifted to, so it’s our responsibility to ensure that we play our part. We’re so happy for the opportunity and look forward to the next.”

Sous Chef Marcus Leon says that he knows firsthand the struggles many families face, and that is why he did not hesitate to get involved. “On my day to day travelling from my house to work, there are a lot of obstacles I see happening: people struggling even for bus. You don’t have to give a bus or a vehicle away, but the smaller things you could do to actually donate, to me my honest experience it matters.”

The SLHTA says it is confident the initiative will make a real and lasting difference.