One local businessman continues to bring more meaning to the lives of the needy in Dominica.
Over the past ten years, Managing Director at Guiyave Limited/Patisserie and Catering Services, Ronald Astaphan, has been providing meals to the homeless and others in need around Roseau, through a feeding program during Christmas and the New Year.
He told Dominica News Online (DNO) in an interview, that it is an initiative he started on his own and decided to continue.
“It’s something I decided to do to bring more meaning to life and because we also run a restaurant, you find a lot of the homeless people come around the area, begging customers, so you see the need and year-by-year, you see more people,” Astaphan explained.
He said what struck him was the increase in the number of young people who live on the streets.
He said a number of volunteers have come to offer a helping hand.
“Every year friends, family and staff would assist. It’s been under the radar for quite a few years. I always have volunteers coming to help me, one or two of my staff,” he stated.
“We packaged about forty-eight breakfasts on Christmas day and fifty lunches on Sunday (Jan 4), because most of them cannot walk much or not really mobile, it is difficult to get them in one spot. We drive around, we try to bring a little cheer to them and this year we were fortunate,”
Astaphan said he intends to continue the program, “Because of the people who came on board on Sunday, we are actually looking at having some meetings to do more stuff in different communities…….It will continue on Christmas and New Years and we are hoping to do other stuff for other people in different communities around the island, not just in Roseau.”
Although it was initially challenging, Astaphan said he was encouraged by “the kindness and gratitude of people.”
“The first couple of years it was a bit challenging because there was a sense of distrust. A lot of them weren’t sure what your intentions were. Like why are they so nice to me? Now a lot of them know me by name so they look forward,” he noted, that the beneficiaries of the program have been given the assurance that, “the quality of the food that we serve them is the same quality that we would like to eat ourselves.”
Hard back lazy men with no disability, just decided to devote their lives to hard drugs and we say helping needy, I for one haven’t seen a needy in none of the pics above so tell Pascal top pic and the others to go wash under there balls and seek Jah and try to live a normal life. We all need, but some of us try and some of the so call needy prefer to live a life of being high and don’t care to work because drugs do make you lazy
Great work. love to hear about these things
Yow!! Respect Ronald,blessings flow to you and all involved in this wonderful jester.
Grell grow up what has that got to do with anything. Why don’t you go and feed the poor from your pocket, Dam a…
Great job, Ronald Astaphan! God bless you and your company!
He has a heart of gold. As the Lord said, we will always have the poor among us. We are commanded to feed, clothe and house them. This is what the government is doing and some people criticize him for that. It is obvious that their heart is not made of gold.
Mr. Astaphan, you are performing an excellent charitable work. One of the best works which pleases Our Lord most is helping the poor. He told us: “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to Me – Matthew 25.
My heart goes out to the poor. Since they are poor, it is our duty to do what we can for them wherever we reside.
Those of us who have a roof over our head, clothes and food to eat should think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
God is expecting that we will be helpful to the poor. The more we give, the more we get. We cannot go wrong cheerfully helping the poor especially at Christmas and throughout the Season of Giving.
God’s blessing abound on you, your family, your business and your…
and your endeavors.
Food is good, a proper drug rehab centre would be even better.
i applaud this and I think more businesses should get involved
Thanks DNO for publishing that story. The US media covered many similar stories of sharing in the USA for Christmas. Over the years, the Dominican society has become very selfish and lacking in compassion. So, any such story of sharing should be well publicized independently of the giver. Guiyave is a restaurant that I patronize and that story made me happy that I do.
the man never tell ppl wat he was doing the workers told ppl and ppl tell the media and you no how dat goes
This is a good thing, as a sort of advertisement and exposure to his good works, feeding the poor. He deserves the recognition and compliment.
Hope some D/cans who are aware of it contribute a few dollars during the year to assist him. St. Paul said, Generosity in Giving – “Who had more did not necessarily have more and who has less does not necessarily have less.”
We all have habits,i can see a man with one hand,,,i do not know why he is in such a condition and i do not want to know,,the problem is how can a man with one hand is relying on handouts…did he vote? i am sure that the gov’t knows of his existance …when i was much younger there were no young homeless ,nor beggers ,what is my island coming too? what type of development istaking place in dominica,,most of these people live in roseau and it in no way a wonderful picture for the tourists that visit us because most times they are apprended by these people that are for most of the time very dirty and smelly…give them a job to sweep the roads,wash the side walks ,give them paint to do graffiti ,at list we will know whether they are simply lazy or are the druggies ,,,dominica cannot continue in that manner ,,,what message will people out of the country get from such a devasting state? god bless these people who are helping because what goes around comes around for every human being…
Why there were none begging? In those days, people were more generous. They gave food and clothes to the poor. These people knew who had and they would appear at their door for assistance. I recall my father would give to them with no question asked. He would advise us his children, if he was not present and any came to the door, to assist them accordingly.
Depending on how old you are to know this, in bygone years the poor got nothing from the government. However, I recall there were poor people in D/ca. Strange, you are correct they hardly begged but would merely walk around. Those who saw them would give them a few cents or a dollar.
D/ca is more expensive and the people today may not have much to give due to their obligations.
To eradicate poverty, it should be instilled in youths to remain in school until they graduate with the hope of obtaining a job. They must be taught to have a sense of discipline, self-worth and their obligation to themselves and nation.
It’s positive stories like that i like. congratulations to all those involved.
That’s what I’m talking about. This is awesome. This is GOD. keep up the good work and I pray GOD continues to bless you and your business!
good gesture. but these vagrants need to be off the streets and not encouraged.
uggg…can’t stand this (SO-CALLED) city
There is a time for everything.
Ronald, God loves a cheerful giver and I know that you have been doing this out of the goodness of that biggggg heart of yours.
May the Father continue to shower you, your staff & volunteers, with good health so that you can keep on sharing with the needy for many, many more years.
God bless you all for paying attention to the less fortunate among us.
norris prevost has been doing it for the past 15 years every sunday, a gentleman from elmshall has been doing it for ever so long, hhv whitchurch does it all the time, just this chirstmas they fed over 150 persons form in front the supermarket. that didnt make news, get ont he program dno
Admin: All of those you mentioned have been given coverage by DNO in the past. This is the first time we are doing a story on Astaphan’s initiative.
Well done and keep the love flowing. God is pleased with your kindness.
I believe this is a worthy venture that Mr. Astaphan has initiated and other persons in Dominica should gravitate around such programs just to strength the hands of the initiator . Even the local churches who bray on Sundays and Wednesdays and claim to be God’s called out ones, should take a leaf from this page. Our culture never celebrates in another person’s success , but rather criticizes it and that’s why Mr, Astaphan should receive a high note of praise for this initiative. Well done Mr.Astaphan.
God bless your heart Ron! Great iniative, wonderful experience, I feel honoured to have been a part of this. The gratitude expressed by our less fortunate bros n sisters was even more heartwarming. I’m looking forward to doing again…soon!
One of my favorite restaurants for local cuisine when I am home. May God bless you and your staff. So you can always have more time than enough to share.
I always wish I was rich to start some organization to take care of the poor, needy n dissabled.
Great Job guiyave. God Bless y’all. Bravo!!!
I applaud you Ronald. Some people make so much propaganda about “all shall eat” but you actually make sure it happens with noise or fuss putting most of us to shame. I am humbled by that.Well done brother
Congratulations Ronald – great job!
great job! may God continue to bless this organisation.
the bible when your right hand gives the left must not know about it dont be giving ppl food and coming and publish it on dno IT IS WRONG look it up in your bible!!!!!!!!!!!
As usual there is always one negative idiot to say something stupid. The man has been doing this for years out of the goodness of his heart and not looking for NO recognition or any publicity. A media house heard about it or saw them and is doing what the media does and carried the story, which is their job. So what’s the problem. It’s negative people like you Mrs Deadly that holding back the country and messing up the minds of the youth. Always twisting a story or creating something negative out of anything positive people try to do.
Let us say, if he informed others about it, it would not be wrong for he spends money from his own pocket. How long can he do this on his own? He needs financial assistance to help him to continue feeding them. He is indirectly making others aware of his good works that they might help him and also follow suit in their neighborhood. He is to be commended.
mrs deadly it seems u did not read the article properly. the manager has been doing that for a number of years. so it is not for glorification. we must learn to read proerly and understand.
Mrs Deadly have you ever given them something? I hope you have even if you did not publicise this. Continue to do so ….. I guess you have. It is just that you do not want people to know except the Father.
Well then continue that way and make sure no one sees you because everyone have cell phone those days … Those Paparazzi!
You are so wrong. Some of you misinterpret what is contained in Holy Scripture to suit your type of mind.
I am certain he did not advertise it or broadcast it. The Media got hold of it as someone previously stated. Thanks to DNO his good works are known and rightfully so.
Ronald has been doing this for a long time and never ask for publicity like mrs. Skerrit who had GIS in tow that time she descended into Tarrish pit before the election using the poor to promote her husband. Ronald’s charity is as it should be, unconditional.
@mrs deadly January 7, 2015
Your sentiment above is correct; it is written at Matthew 6: 3-4 “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”
But Jesus is speaking to the “person” or “people” themselves who does the charitable work–not if someone else speaks about that person or people–as it seem to me, here on DNO, I hope that I am right.
Jesus spoke that principle, because He wants people to apply humility, which God desires from us, He gives them the exaltation at His appointed time; as it is said above “and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”. If they take it without God, it is not an act of Love.
So we don’t go bragging about the good things we do, but if someone else chooses to speak about our works–what can do; that is the way God tells us He is pleased with…
That is the way God tells us He is pleased with us–understand?
Our Lord is speaking to those who give to the church and who assist others and blow their trumpets that all might know about it and compliment and exalt them as they wallow with pride. He also said, those who expect earthly rewards and exaltation, have already received their reward – on earth. This means they will not obtain eternal salvation.
Recall those who give to hospitals, universities, etc. and hospital wings, etc. are built and named in their honor. They are exalted and are proud of this recognition.
The Canadian/Provincial governments have mandated that the churches give their parishioners an annual receipt for their almsgiving. The government(s) ensure that they have a record of how much the church collects. I call it, putting their noses in everything.
Especially in Canada, we are allowed to claim it on our income tax return as a refund. I often wonder if Our Lord regards what I term as so-called charitable donation/almsgiving as truly charitable.
If you know the man you would know he is not that kind of person. Ronald is not the kind of guy who looks for praise, at least not from my experience with him.
brother god will give u plenty god bless u
Look @ the condition of these needy people,the man with the one hand has no family and the government spent all these millions to bribe for votes,dominica has it coming SMH.
Grell did u give at least one meal. Stop talking and do your share!
Grell, you are always negative. You turn good things into bad ones. How charitable are you? Time for a change of heart.
God Bless you, your staff and all those who assisted in fulfilling this venture. Hope more local businesses will follow in this path.
Thumbs up to mister Astaphans, I pray the Lord continues to give you strength to continue the good work you are doing and other business people like yourself will do the same as u r.
Very good initiative Ronald.. More restaurant owners should follow your lead. My heart is sad to see people like the ones in the photos above.
May God continue to bless you, your volunteers and your restaurant.
Again kudos to you and all who help you Ronald!!! May you and all who assist you be blessed infinitely for your good works in assisting those who are not as fortunate as you are. Keep up the good work bro!! God’s speed!!
Congratulations on such a great initiative Mr. Astaphan. I applaud you and your volunteers.