Eleanor Depieza has baked her way into the Barbados Vagrants And Homeless Society (BVHS), making a sweet contribution of treats to the staff and clients of that organization.
Every Thursday, Depeiza, a returning national, gives the BVHS a variety of cakes, sweet bread and other tasty delights she prepares in her Kingsland, Christ Church home.
Having recently received an appreciation award at BVHS’ 2013 awards ceremony for her eagerly anticipated donations, the 75-year-old told the MIDWEEK NATION that as a Christian-oriented individual, she believes that sharing with and doing good for people are ways of following in Jesus’ footsteps.
“I found out about the Homeless Society and also found out that they not only do rehabilitation but also feed the clients. I called the office one day and I managed to speak to [chairman] Mr [Kemar] Saffrey and I said: ‘Can I bring something for the guys?’ and he said: ‘Yes, it is okay’.
“At that time the office was over in Bay Street and every Thursday I started taking something that I know they would enjoy and appreciate. The girls in there got to know me and got attached to me and they started to like me,” said Depeiza.
Depeiza, a retired nurse who worked at a hospital in Queens, New York, United States, said she was happy she had the talent and goodwill to feed those who benefited from the society’s services.
“It makes no sense me keeping my talent only to benefit myself. When I was living overseas working at the hospital, everybody around me wanted something I baked.
“That started when I made the mistake of baking something and taking it to work and sharing it with people. The word spread about what nice cakes I bake. I used to be baking and carrying to work with my handful of bags which had in things I baked for people,” she recalled.
But Depeiza’s love for baking and her cooking skills did not start yesterday. According to her: “My kitchen abilities started a long time ago. I grew up in the house where my mother used to do stuff like this and I learned from watching and helping my mother. As I grew older, for some reason my sisters did not take that way and they always used to ask me to bake things for them.”
Depeiza, who continually repeated her passion for carrying out good deeds, called on others to make worthy contributions to charitable organizations and groups “doing good things like the Vagrants and Homeless Society”.
She indicated that she was aware of retired individuals like herself who often told her that they did not have the time to follow in her footsteps.
“They would say that they need money just like the homeless people need money, and I would tell them that money is not everything. I don’ always have money either but doing what I do don’t make me lose anything,” she said.
Depeiza called on competent and capable individuals to get out in the community and make a difference in somebody’s life, instead of sitting down and watching television almost all day long.
“I find that sometimes there are people who come home from living in America and England when they retire to live in a big house and they are hardly doing anything to keep themselves busy and then next thing, you know they die and gone long and leave the big house.”
As far as keeping busy and engaging in constructive activities are concerned Depeiza also has a number of other hobbies. When she is not baking, she occupies her time collecting what she considers “important newspaper clippings”, which she then uses to create albums.
