Many people know Golden Krust Bakery & Grill for its delicious and popular flaky Jamaican patties jerk chicken, oxtail stew and other authentic island dishes. What many don’t know is the extent to which the nation’s largest Caribbean food franchise is committed to giving back to the community. Exactly two months ago, Golden Krust co-founder and CEO Mr. Lowell Hawthone pledged 70 scholarships this year alone to needy young persons in the United States and Jamaica through the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation. On Thursday, August 4th he awarded thirty (30) of these – to high school students preparing to enter college in the Fall at a ceremony held at the United Church of Jesus Christ in the Bronx.
Students were invited to write an essay about either their immigrant experience in the United States or how their college education will help benefit the community. The essays were graded by a panel of judges, based on originality, creativity, grammar and content. These thirty exceptional young men and women are only the latest of hundreds whose lives have been changed by Mr. Hawthorne’s commitment.
Since 2005 The Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation has awarded over 100 scholarships to graduating high school seniors (as wells as students at Mr. Hawthorne’s alma mater, Oberlin High School in Jamaica), established a $100,000 endowment toward scholarships to students with high aptitude who demonstrate financial need over a period of seven years at the Bronx Community College. And in January 2010, the company pledged $100,000 to the University of the West Indies, the oldest, fully regional institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth Caribbean, to cover tuition costs for five students per year for a period of eight years.
The family business has always made promotion of its core values and support of the community among the tenets of the company’s philosophy, and the lynchpin of this effort is the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Scholarship Foundation. Lowell Hawthorne recognizes that “giving back to the community is making a difference in the lives of young persons and families within the communities by helping to sponsor education” and is working assiduously to meet this need for his customers.