A company has donated more than $3,000 to help a charity feed the Island's homeless.

Allied World staff collected $1,600 a donation which was matched by the company. The money will go towards the Eliza Doolittle Society and its new 'Daily Bread' programme which expects to feed the Island's needy and homeless outside Hamilton in 2010.

In addition to the money donated, the staff also did a food drive and collected more than 300 non-perishable items including bags of rice, rum cakes and toiletries for the charity.

The Royal Gazette is featuring the company as part of our 'Dare to Care' campaign, which aims to encourage everyone to get involved with community service. It could be anything from delivering a home-cooked meal to an elderly person next door or giving used clothes and household items to a thrift store.

Allied World is no stranger in taking an active role in the community, said Corporate Communications Associate, Noelle Campbell.

The company has a charitable committee which works with the community to identify charities that need financial support.

They have also organised an annual community day which this year saw more than 70 staff members turn up at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo for an afternoon of painting, gardening, cleaning and clerical work.

They were also actively involved in the annual St Baldrick's Day event where people shave their hair for charity as a sponsor and fund-raising assistant.

"As a Bermuda-based company, we recognise that we are part of a much larger community and that we have a responsibility to our staff and that community," said Ms Campbell.

"Our company is made up of individuals who are all affected by what goes on in our society and to the extent we can make that society a better place, both by our financial contributions and the actions of our staff, we will do everything that we can to assist."

Ms Campbell admits it was a busy time for the company, but the food drive was something "relatively easy for our staff to participate in".

They decided to give the money and food items to the Eliza Doolittle Society after hearing about its 'Daily Bread' programme from Reverend Barry Dunsmore. The Minister for Christ Church in Warwick serves on the charity's board and has been a champion for the homeless since growing up in Glasgow, in Scotland, 30 years ago.

The feeding programme, which will formally be announced in the spring, is modelled after 'Second Harvest' in Canada which gives leftover food from hotels and restaurants to the needy.

It is expected to support the homeless in St. George's, Warwick and Southampton who currently only get one sponsored meal a month, said Tony Forster, chairman of Eliza Doolittle Society.

Mr. Forster said AW's donation was an important step in getting the feeding programme off the ground.

"We're delighted that companies like AW care enough to think of the needy and the homeless. Many needy and homeless people received non-perishable food items last week, distributed through Christ Church Warwick and the youth group at the Anglican Cathedral.

"We are also very pleased that they further thought to ask their staff to donate money donations which the company matches. As this will be most helpful in aiding the development of our forthcoming Island-wide feeding programme that will be announced in March."

"We certainly hope other corporations and even small businesses will wish to find a way of reaching into their pockets to help our programme flourish and help needy people in these worsening economic times."

l For more information on the Daily Bread programme call the charity on 295-0198. If you or someone you know is doing something positive to show you care for others in the community, let us know by e-mailing nadiaroyalgazette.bm.