Nicola Barrett, a current board member, supports Trees That Feed Foundation with generosity and fervor. A Jamaican living in the United States, she travels to the Caribbean often.
A fellow actuary, Nicola met co-founder Mike McLaughlin at a conference almost 20 years ago. She felt an instant friendship with him, as she did with co-founder Mary McLaughlin when they met.
“I believe in their passion for this very impactful work. This goes beyond simply growing or donating breadfruit trees,” said Nicola. “It’s about the empowerment these opportunities provide – education, employment, entrepreneurial, business, agricultural, philanthropic – all wrapped up in one.”
Nicola told us that those feelings crystalized at this year’s Breadfruit Symposium, which TTFF held alongside Regeneration Foundation in Jamaica. There a roomful of breadfruit enthusiasts learned from TTFF partners, experts in the field.
During another visit to Jamaica, Nicola accepted an award from the government’s Forestry Department on behalf of TTFF. She paid visits to TTFF beneficiaries like Robert Hamilton of Flavor’s Finest, who makes breadfruit flour.
But Nicola doesn’t only monitor operations and assess partner satisfaction in Jamaica. Within her two years as a board member, she also visited a nursery in Tobago, run by the Tobago Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme.
Nicola explained, “I’m passionate about being Jamaican, and about helping my fellow West Indians. Obviously, TTFF works beyond the Caribbean, but the home base origins really appealed to me. Combined with my frequent trips home to Jamaica and annual trips to other islands, I’m uniquely positioned to represent TTFF on almost every trip.”
There’s nothing like a face-to-face encounter for accountability, and we do not have the capacity to travel everywhere consistently. Nicola’s work as a representative of Trees That Feed is invaluable.
Thank you, Nicola. And thank you to everyone else who supports TTFF in any way.
