The Humane Society of Grand Bahama has joined forces with the Lucaya International School to kick off a Spare Change Campaign to help raise funds for Neem Trees. Planting Neem Trees on the shelter grounds will give the dogs much needed shade and they are a natural flea and tick repellent.

If you have a tub of spare change at home please send it in with your child so they can put it in their class rooms donation bucket or if you do not have children at the school and would like to help with the campaign please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we would be happy to come and collect your spare change.

Donations will be accepted at the Humane Society for anyone that wishes to donate trees instead of spare change. A $75.00 donation for the Spare Change / Neem Tree Campaign will buy a 4-5 foot neem tree to be planted in the shelter yard. Abaco Neem and Care Maintenance have joined together and are offering to donate 1 tree for every 4 purchased and Care Maintenance has graciously donated their time to come out and plant the new trees. Information about a public event to accept the Neem trees and donations will be announced at a later date.

Abaco Neem shampoos and other Abaco Neem products are available for purchase at the retail store of the Humane Society.

About Abaco Neem  (courtesy of Abaco Neem, Limited)

Neem is a member of the mahogany family, Meliaceae, and is known by the botanical name Azadirachta indica. It is native to east India and Burma, grows in much of Southeast Asia and West Africa, and is also grown in in the Caribbean and Central America.Neem trees can grow 50-90 ft depending on the strain but at Abaco Neem we prune our trees so they can be harvested by hand. Neem flowers are small white blossoms that have a fragrance similar to Jasmine. Neem bears fruit within 3-5 years and the fruit is about the size of an olive with the seed encased in a sweet pulp-like texture. Seeds are very bitter and from them we extract our oil. Neem trees are tropical evergreens that do not like cold temperatures and wet roots. They thrive better in well drained soil (requiring just a minimum of 18 inches of rain annually) and heat, even withstanding temperatures to 120 degrees F.

The Neem trees on the Abaco Neem farm contribute to our ecosystem by providing a natural habitat for a variety of birds and small animals. Also the fruit and flowers provide food for birds, bats, ducks, lizards and other small animals like butterflies and bees. These are few of many of the natural wonders that coexist together and add to the peaceful environment on the farm.

Neem, called the "village pharmacy", has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is known for its wide range of medicinal uses. All parts of the tree roots, bark, gum, leaves, flowers, fruit, seed kernels, and seed oil are used in products for human or pet health, home and garden or agriculture.

All parts of the tree contain compounds with proven antiseptic, immune-stimulating, anti-viral, antibacterial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-anxiety, analgesic, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, anthelmintic and antifungal uses. These characteristics illustrate why neem is grabbing the attention of researchers today, and why it has been used successfully for thousands of years.

The main chemical that gives neem its active properties is azadirachtin - unique to the neem tree - but there are many other beneficial compounds that have been studied, including meliantriol, quercetin, salannin, nimbidiol, nimbin and nimbidin.