He stressed that everyone had to help one another. "What Tobago needs now is a rebirth of the lend-a-hand tradition of helping each other," he said. "In the past, family and friends would come together to build a house and in this economic climate people need to come together and help one another." The NCSH, which is an agency within the Ministry of Community Development, distributed $612,000 in food hampers and delivered purchase orders for building material to 100 people, among them senior citizens and victims of natural disasters. In an interview with the T&T Guardian, Alfred said applicants were allowed to seek assistance from both the Tobago House of Assembly and NCSH, if their repairs were above the grants on offer.