Orville Wright
The Orange Park-Hinds Town Progressive Farmers Benevolent Society, on Sunday, July 16, presented a brand new computer system to the Orange Park Basic School. The presentation was held at the Orange Park Baptist Church at the eighty fifth (85th) Sunday School anniversary at Golden Grove in St Ann. The brief ceremony entailed a group dance, singing from the men’s choir, women’s and youth class of the Orange Park Baptist Church. A special selection was also done by the children’s choir.
The guest speaker of the evening was Marlene Gordon a deacon at the Walkers Wood Baptist Church. A few presentations of certificates were made to two individual contributors — Violet Johnson and Oscar Johnson. The certificates were presented on behalf of the Orange Park Basic School. In addition, the farmers group was also presented with a certificate of appreciation for outstanding support and significant contribution to the Orange Park Basic School. The farmers’ group members were all pleased on stage with this recognition from the school.
During the handing over of the computer system, it was stated that the farmers group saw the need of the school for a new computer to better facilitate records and store important information. The computer was presented to Aneika White, a teacher at the Orange Park Basic School.
Miss White thanked the Orange Park-Hinds Town Farmers Group for the special gift. She stated that it would definitely benefit the school in a more efficient way.
Shirley Coke, a committee member of the farmers group told the North Coast Times that the farmers group has adopted the basic school and has been helping them out for some time. “We had treated them for Christmas, my aim is to continue within this area and Hinds Town,” Mr Coke said.
The farm group has started from 2015 with 60 farmers and Mr Coke said that another aim is for good community development to happen. The farm group plants crops such as sweet pepper, Irish potato, hot pepper, pumpkin and sweet potato. Ninety percent of the farmers plant hot pepper, with the Walkers Wood pepper factory the main purchaser. Mr Coke said that the farmers are planning on going into export and also to building green houses in order for this to happen. The farmers group has 850 acres of land within the Islington and Orange Park area. In the Hinds Town area there are 230 acres in their charge.
One of the main problems that the farmers face is water as they have to depend on rainfall for the growth of their crops. Mr Coke says that they are in the process of acquiring water from the old Reynolds well.
The farmers group also assists the basic school with food items or whatever other resource they can manage. Mr Coke said that toward the end of August they will be hosting a back-to-school treat for the children. They said they expect to provide the children with stationery and other back-to-school items. The farmers are also planning on adopting a basic school from Hinds Town in the near future and to help them in their needs.
