Pollyanna Project lends helping hand to resilient Old Harbour family selling guineps

One family that exemplifies this statement is the Minzie family, a close-knit band of seven, who know and understands resilience and what it takes to provide through the hard times while having a smile of one’s face.

Farming which is the backbone of this nation has long been considered one of the most difficult and often times thankless occupation to invest in as a myriad of obstacles, from pestilence to predial larceny can present themselves at any given time. For the Minzies, farming is their main source of income but recently severe drought has made things very challenging. However, the family was not content to just rest on their laurels and sought to sell guineps on the road as it’s the season for one of the many exotic fruits on the island. That decision changed their lives.

The entire family from father Donovan Minzie to his spouse Trisha and their children were out along the roadside on West Street in Old Harbour where they caught the eye of Pollyana Project CEO ‘Aunty’ Donna Moore-Stewart who was impressed with their demeanor. Stewart was so intrigued by the actions of the family that she decided to invest in the children, by donating much needed school supplies.

Among the gifts received were school bags, books, khaki uniforms and two laptops. The formal handing over took place on Monday August 11, 2025 at the Old Harbour High School where the two eldest children attend. The younger ones are students of Marlie Mount Primary. Also on hand to pledge her ongoing support was Icylin Golding, Custos Rotulorum for the parish of St. Catherine and Chairman of the Old Harbour High School Board. The children Derrick 16, Rajive, 14; Donovan, 9; Zayin 4 and baby Zahara aged two were all present at the quiet ceremony. Most wore their old school uniforms and were thrilled to have received new ones for the upcoming start of the new school year. Though too young for a formal education, baby Zahara was not left out as she was gifted new clothes as well. 

According to Moore-Stewart, it was destiny that facilitated her meeting the Minzie family as she was not supposed to be in the vicinity on that fateful day.

“I had an appointment to meet someone at Old Harbour High at 3:00 pm,” she tells Old Harbour News. “I’m habitually early for every appointment so I showed up at the school and waited for the person who said it was raining and he would be delayed. I decided to run and do a couple of errands in the meantime. By 5:00 pm I was hungry and so my husband and I drove to the rotisserie place where he went in and I decided to wait in the car but I was using the rear view mirror to watch behind me. Somehow the person selling the guinep caught my attention. I sat there observing for over 15 minutes observing how they made up the bunches and handed it off to the children who had by now came out to assist and I watched how the children were well put together and had a great attitude.” 

By this time Stewart stated that her “spirit drew her to them”. “I jokingly said to the father ‘Gimme one a dem guinep nuh’ and he said ‘yes I can give you’. So you know that made me feel good cuz a nuh everybody give away nothing in Jamaica. 

“While I was talking to the husband I called to the wife to introduce myself and they had no idea who I was. They explained that they had five children and it was back-to-school time and this was what they were doing to earn the money to take care of that need. I asked them a whole bunch of questions and they were forthcoming with the answers and they answered with honesty and integrity. 

“You know some people would be like ‘why you want to know my business?’ but they told me that the neighbour next door had the guinep tree and gave them permission to pick the guineps, sell it and earn a living. They were so transparent and I know people who feel so entitled that they would not do something like that to make ends meet because maybe they have too much pride. Details matter to me; manners and gratitude matters to me. They exude humility. This is not a sorry for situation but rather a helping hand as this family tries to be self-sufficient. Life happens and all some people need is a helping hand.”

For the matriarch of the family Trisha Liston, it was God who made all the stars align that day. Pollyanna Project, she said, stepped into their lives at the time they needed it the most. “Aunty Donna parked up there for a while before she approached us. She was watching I think to see how we operate. Then she came and bought a bunch of guinep from my husband and I came over and we started to talk,” she said corroborating Moore-Stewart’s version of the events. 

That talk opened Donna’s eyes to just how industrious the Minzies really are. The family from  Smith Avenue, work hard on their farm growing cash crops that are seasonal and yield abundantly with quick turnaround time. “We work hard,” said Liston. “When is not guinep, we plant vegetable and flowers but the drought is on now. Most of the time we grow callaloo,  pak chow, pumpkin, lettuce, okra and cucumber. I try my best to ensure that the children go to school at all costs so these gift means a lot to us. The laptops will make it so much easier for them to do their school work. The bags of books are a weight off my shoulders because I hadn’t started buying anything yet for school so the Creator sent Pollyana just in time to help. Thanks to Miss Donna, the boys can go high school this year with a clean slate. They have never had P.E. (physical education) gears before and now they do. Normally they don’t go to orientation because we don’t have the resources but this year they are going so we have a lot to be thankful for.”

Also adding his voice in appreciation for the donations made was Donovan who stated that he was very grateful because he wants to ensure that his children get the head start in life he never got. 

“This means a lot as it free up some of the burden off my shoulders. I want the best for my children,” he said. “I want them to benefit educationally from things that will enlighten them and I want them to have their hopes and dreams fulfilled.”

Pollyanna Project Inc. is a registered charity in both the United States and Jamaica, that was established in 1994 by Moore-Stewart and her siblings who grew up in Bodles, Old Harbour in honour of their mother Carmen ‘Miss Polly’ Hinds.