Hello, My name is Stephen Smith, and I’m a serial entrepreneur. My passion is to provide consumers and businesses with expert advice, quality products, and exceptional logistical and transportation services. Like many entrepreneurs, I am always looking for the next best idea for a product or business or I am always looking for a new product/service to provide to consumers. A product/service that will help consumers and businesses fill their needs or save them time and money. For the last year, I have had an idea for a large warehouse company, but due the the pandemic, I revised my idea so that it would be of great assistance to the low income families and the thousands of persons under the poverty line throughout The Bahamas. I have researched all the necessary information needed and calculated the cost to begin phase one of my business idea. Now all I need is your help to get Groceries For Less In The Bahamas started.

The minimum wage in The Bahamas is $250.00 a week if that, because there are many persons receiving less than that for a weeks pay. Thanks to the pandemic, the start of the new school year has thousands of students starting their mornings without a proper or any breakfast. With countless of families in The Bahamas either in poverty or barely making minimum wage, thousands of children's performance abilities will be impaired due to malnutrition. If these families were able to purchase enough groceries on a weekly bases to sustain their households, it would make life so much easier. But with the high cost of living in The Bahamas, families, especially single parent households, are finding it very difficult to provide even the bare necessities for their families, because many of them are living below or barely above the poverty line. This means many kids will be going to school with nothing or very little to eat on a regular basis. Sent off to school with no lunch or any money to purchase lunch.

This is why I started Groceries For Less In The Bahamas campaign. To help the thousands of households that cant afford to walk into a grocery store and spend $200.00 a week on groceries, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. To help the single parent, low income homes, and homes that the adults are juggling two jobs and can only afford to pay rent. With the high cost of living, those living in The Bahamas were given higher utility bills and higher added Vat rates. Even in some of the most hardened areas on the island, $250.00 per week for a single parent can barely pay the rent and utilities, much less buy food and clothes. Can you believe the cost of living in The Bahamas is higher than most countries throughout the world, Caribbean, and the West Indies regions? The Bahamas, is the wealthiest country in the West Indies and third in the Americas behind the United States and Canada. Can you believe that? “ As of 2017, 14.8 percent of the country’s population lives below the poverty line. Not only is this higher than the average global poverty rate, but the number of people living in poverty continues to increase. Currently, it has grown by two percent since 2014.” So in 2020, the poverty rate is now over 50%, thanks to the pandemic crisis. A national statistics released reveal more than 100,000 persons in the country live under the poverty line on less than $5,000 per year. Findings show that 12.8 per cent of the population are living in poverty with a 3.5 per cent hike in the annual poverty line since the last recorded study in 20018, from $2,863.00 to $4,247.00.”

Fast forward to today, with lobbying for an increase in basic wage, The Bahamas is fast approaching a country of have and have nots, as long as the country is at the level of poverty it’s at. As long as children have to go to school on empty stomachs, they will not achieve the maturity required to progress in today's world. Thankfully there are a few civic minded cooperate citizens and a number of churches that responded to the call to help of the burden of those less fortunate and parents everywhere are very grateful for their kindness, but it's not enough. Now is the time for likeminded persons who want to help to get on board. With poverty being what it is, one would ask if it can be eradicated. If at first glance when Jesus said in John 12:8 “The poor you will always have with you” We can take it to mean that don’t worry about them (poor) they are always going to be around. This verse is often used as an attempt to take the wind out of all the rest of Jesus‘ commands to help the poor and needy and to show love and mercy. But we see the logic when we read Deuteronomy 15:11 “For the poor you will always have with you in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.”

"Only those that have lived or have to live in poverty feels it and those who never had to live it, would never understand what it feels like." 

As the world starts it's slow recovery and begins rebuilding from the effects of the pandemic, millions of persons, especially those persons living outside larger countries, will be feeling the effects of this crisis for at least the next 3 years. I myself, like many other citizens of the Bahamas was not able to work, because my business was not essential and had to rely on government aid (which was not that much) just enough to provide provisions for my family. Now as the time gets closer for the country to open back up, many citizens will still be in hardship. It is unsure what the government's plan will be for it's citizens that will still be struggling to survive and to rebuild their lives. When the government decides it has done all that it could for it's citizens, thousands will be left in dire need and no support. The Bahamas imports a majority of all it's food items, and the retail stores that sells these items are raising their prices to ensure profit, making it almost impossible for consumers to buy enough food and household items to last them a week.

My plan, with your help, is to purchase food items, meats, cleaning supplies, and toiletries from manufacturers, package them into boxes, and resell them back to the public at under market prices. Those purchasing the packages would be provided with enough fresh meats, bread items, seasonings, drinks, vegetables, personal care items, and household cleaning supplies to sustain their homes. By helping them cutdown on their grocery bill, they can use their savings towards other needs. As the country is still dealing with the pandemic concerns, orders will be taken via phone and online orders. All orders will be packaged safely and delivered for free in Nassau. Those outside of Nassau will be charged freight cost. The amount needed to to fund the start up is $500,000.00 USD. The funds raised by this campaign will be used to:

• Obtain the proper licenses and certificates
• Lease a warehouse location for the storage and operation of the business
• Minor renovations to the building to ensure safety and health codes are met
• Refrigeration cooler rooms for proper cold storage of items
• Reefers for onsite cold storage,
• Packaging materials
• Inventory purchase
• delivery vans
• Website/marketing plan
• Office equipment
• Insurance
• Working capital for 3 months to pay employees and Utilities. 

I am asking all of you, who have taken the time to read this campaign to assist me in anyway you can, any amount is appreciated and would help. I know not everyone has the means to contribute financially, but if you could take the time to share my campaign to people you know who can give a little, that would be great. This campaign is a very important stepping stone for all of those infected by this crisis that continues to make our lives difficult, a step in the right direction to ensure there are means for everyone, even those without money, can still receive proper nourishments to keep their bodies healthy. With this business model, Logis Plus More will be able to provide thousands of persons with the necessary provisions to sustain their homes for way less than the supermarkets and also provide much needed employment opportunities for 30 persons in the beginning phase of the business plan, and another 40 to 50 employment opportunities would be available at the start of phase 2 of the business plan after 6 months, as the business would be labeled essential. I put a lot of thought into this plan, my vision for the future is very broad, and I plan to expand these services into other countries throughout the Caribbean.

As this is a business campaign/venture, All investors/contributors that wish to help, can select a perk/reward for their contribution amount of $100.00 or more. If the campaign is fully funded, those who chose perks will receive their full contribution amount and the rewarded interest in 120 - 180 days after completion/goal is met. Just to show all of you how strongly I feel about this campaign, I made it possible for everyone to benefit from it by making it an equity based campaign. My pride will not allow me to accept free handouts. I would like to work for everything I stand to gain, this is why I am giving back the contributions that got me started, making the hard earned money you contributed, be an investment and not a donation.