ROJ mobilises teams for Labour Day school projects

KINGSTON, Jamaica— Restaurants of Jamaica (ROJ), operators of KFC andPizza Hut turned Labour Day 2026 into a company-wide show of service, mobilisingteam members, supplies and meal support behind school improvement projects across western Jamaica and St Catherine.The company, in a press release on Thursday, explained that the initiative was built around community projects connected to ROJ team members across its network, allowing employees from different restaurant locations and internal departments to support schools within communities they know and serve.Schools supported through the effort included Cornwall College, Howard Cooke Primary, Edward Basic, Granville Primary and Infant, Bridgeport Basic, Priory Primary, St Peter’s Early Childhood Institution and Bogue Hill Primary and Infant School.ROJ provided materials to support the work being carried out, including buckets ofpaint, paint brushes, rollers, paint pans and trees for planting.The company also provided KFC and Pizza Hut meals and refreshments for volunteers across the project sites,helping to keep teams fuelled throughout the day.Within the schools, the focus was on creating brighter, cleaner and more welcomingspaces for students and teachers.That wider effort came into closer view at St Peter’s Early Childhood Institution inFalmouth and Bogue Hill Primary and Infant School in Montego Bay, the company said.ROJ teams worked alongside school leaders, parents, teachers and volunteers, across the compounds, walls and artwork were refreshed in vibrant colours, trees were planted and teams moved through the spaces carrying out hands-on work throughout the day, while even the children found ways to pitch in.In Falmouth, the support also included repairs to the roof of a classroom at St Peter’s that had been affected by Hurricane Melissa.For Michael Black, restaurant general manager, Pizza Hut Whitter Village, and projectlead for the St Peter’s activity, the day showed how ROJ’s Labour Day approach couldtake shape through its people on the ground.“This was about seeing a need in the community and bringing the right support around it,” shared Black. “St Peter’s means a lot to the area, and after the impact of Hurricane Melissa, we knew the work would make a difference. What stood out for me was the way team members from different locations and departments came out ready to work. Everybody understood why we were there.”Levene Sheriff, marketing officer at Restaurants of Jamaica, said the initiative allowedROJ to support community projects in a way that felt practical and connected to itspeople.“Across our brands, our team members are part of communities all over Jamaica, andmany of them are already connected to efforts that matter on the ground,” said Sheriff.“Labour Day gave us an opportunity to put company support behind that spirit of service, whether through supplies, meals, refreshments or volunteer support. For us, thegoal was to help strengthen the work already happening in these school communities.”Gillian Brissett, principal of St Peter’s Early Childhood Institution, said the supportbrought a meaningful lift to the school following the challenges caused by HurricaneMelissa.“We are truly grateful for the support given to St Peter’s,” said Brissett. “The team came in ready to work, and it was encouraging to see parents, teachers and even the children getting involved. The school looks brighter, and after everything we experienced with Hurricane Melissa means a lot to us. Support like this reminds us that the wider community still cares.”The Labour Day effort brought together ROJ employees, school leaders, parents,teachers, students and volunteers around a shared purpose: improving schoolenvironments in a way that children and staff could immediately feel. By using itsinternal network to identify and support community projects, ROJ was able to extend its reach across several schools while keeping the work personal, practical and rooted in service.