So many of you have generously donated to Stronger Together to help us provide hurricane relief to victims in hard hit areas of the island of Jamaica. The need is still so great and until we began doing this I don’t think we even fully comprehended the magnitude of the destruction.
Each Sunday since we began Kamila’s Kitchen has provided 250-300 hot meals to residents of communities in St Ann, including Cave Valley, Stepney, Steer Town, Davis Town, and Chalky Hill. Some of the communities are very rural so access can be challenging. Many of the residents have additional disabilities and challenges which complicates both their recovery and ability to access resources.
In addition to the meals, each week we have been able to give tarps and care packages. We have tried to vary what the care packages contain and who receives them so that we can serve as many people as possible. Care packages have focused on hygiene items and food.
This past Sunday we focused the care packages on children identified as being among the hardest hit by local guidance counselors.
The families who we have been able to serve have greeted us each week with gratitude and humility. We do not take many pictures out of respect for people’s privacy.
We have to extend a very special thank you to Divi’s Wholesale that has been with us the entire way providing donations or discounted prices and logistical support for the care packages each week.
Other partners who have helped include Happy Ice and Water, Boxpert, Ecoware, Total Tools, Meca Entertainment, Drax Hall Ltd , as well as the Shaggy Foundation.
In The Coming Weeks
We are committed to this project and would like to keep this response going for as long as there is need- providing both hot meals and care packages. Further, we would like to transition from disaster response to rebuilding assistance.
This coming Sunday we will continue to deliver meals and will once again target the children by providing holiday gifts and/or goodie bags. The hope is to provide a moment of levity for the kids as well as mental health support for both the kids and the adults.
How Can You Help?
The need continues to be staggering. Many folk have indicated that these are the only hot meals they are getting each week living off tin foods, etc the rest of the time.
Secure donations can be made via: gofund me
Donations can also be made via cash app $staceyannbaugh, zelle or direct deposit to account (information available upon request).
Donations of food, clothing, hygiene items, building supplies and new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off to Kamila’s Kitchen locations in Marketplace and Drax Hall and the College of Insurance, 3A Richmond Ave, Half-Way Tree. Toy donations accepted through Thursday, Dec 11 to allow us time to prep for Sunday delivery.
One highlight of this difficult situation has been seeing the amazing generosity of people. Each week we are blown away by the people who show up to help and donate to their fellow humans.
Another humongous highlight has been the opportunity to work alongside my amazing cousin, Kamila on this very wonderful project.
Thanks again to all who support the work we are doing!
