An island company has donated $400,000 to organisations to help them cope with increased demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The money, given in the names of Edmund and Winifred Gibbons or Edmund Gibbons Ltd, the controlling company for the Gibbons group, was handed over in the past year to seven organisations in Bermuda.

Another $100,000 went to the R3 Foundation for good works in the Cayman Islands, where EGL also operates.

An EGL family representative said: “Covid-19 brought sudden joblessness and immense hardship to communities here in Bermuda and Cayman.

“The Gibbons family is heartened to know its philanthropy over the past year helped to ease the heavy burden families in these communities faced through no fault of their own.“

The firm said seven of the island organisations supported offered food programmes or other social support over the pandemic.

Age Concern’s hardship programme, the hardship fund at the Bermuda Foundation, the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity’s food programme; Christ Church Warwick’s food programme, the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s community services, Transitional Community Services including young adult therapeutic services and the Vernon Temple AME Church’s hardship programme were all supported by the company.

The eighth donation went towards the restoration of Pig’s Field playground on Glebe Road in Pembroke, which was destroyed in a fire in April.

The Reverend Leonard Santucci of Vernon Temple AME Church, located in Southampton, said the church was “eternally grateful” for the gift.

Dr Santucci said: “The Covid pandemic has had a huge negative impact on family incomes and standards of living.”

Myra Virgil, the Bermuda Foundation chief executive and managing director, thanked EGL of the non-profit sector.

She said: “This generous donation to Bermuda’s Hardship Fund managed by the community foundation was much needed and was a huge help to providing essential services to Bermuda’s vulnerable populations.

“Funds were deployed to essential services in three key areas: provision of food, access to medication, and the safety and the security for seniors.

“In most cases, Bermuda’s non-profits have been providing these essential services and it is heart-warming to see how the community of donors like EGL have rallied to enable them to do their job.

“EGL helped fill a critical need at a critical time.”