“My grandmother used to say, as long as there’s breath in my body.”

The Barbados Community College (BCC) believes that serving our country is just as important as serving our college, and BCC Biology and Chemistry Tutor Dr. Mercedes Harris shares that belief.

A New York native with Bajan roots, Dr. Harris has dedicated herself to improving the health and wellness of the communities over the past two decades.

Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations and community services, she’s spearheading health-focused culinary nutrition courses for people of all ages and origins, while incorporating their own cultural preferences and practices.

Her organization, Five Loaves and Two Fish Healthy Teaching Kitchen, is about making healthy tweaks to the recipe of a region without losing the key ingredients that make it special.

“Not saying you would have to change your whole diet but say macaroni pie, you can consider blending pumpkin into the cheese sauce. Making sure that foods are culturally sensitive is imperative especially if you want to get the outcomes you desire.”

Dr. Harris started the organization in 2018 after the passing of her mother and grandmother from breast cancer and stroke respectively.

“After losing my mother and grandmother at the same time of my first pregnancy. I don’t want anyone excluded. That’s why the health education programs I conduct in the communities across the island are for youth and adults.”

A licensed public health pharmacist, Dr. Harris joined BCC in to assist a tutor on leave. Now having worked at the college for two years lecturing various courses, the philanthropist described it as a natural evolution and has fallen in love with the work.

Dr. Harris recently worked with the students of Milton Lynch Primary in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and announced that more projects were on the way.