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In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, some local leaders wanted to help those affected in the Bahamas. On September 9, a group of local leaders gathered in Raleigh to discuss how they could support the people on the island of Grand Bahamas, many of whom have lost loved ones and nearly everything they own to the Hurricane Dorian.
Two of the group’s friends who are native Bahamians, attended the meeting to share with the group accounts of the devastation as told to them by their family members who survived.
Wake Forest Town Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon reached out to well-known Raleigh businessman James Montague, who was instrumental in coordinating six truck-loads of water to Flint Michigan in 2016. Jackie Rigby Crawford and Chandra Sturrup, both natives of the Bahamas are part of the group. Sturrp, is an Olympic Gold Medalist from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia.
The group has set up two primary locations to receive non-perishable items listed by the Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Those locations are Statue Side Business Center, located at 918 Rock Quarry Road, Suite 111 in Raleigh and the Wake County Northern Regional Center located at 350 East Holding Avenue, Wake Forest. Non-perishable items needed include Tents, Cots, Hygiene Kits Pampers (all sizes), baby wipes, sanitary napkins, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, adult diapers, hand sanitizer bottled water cases, disposable cutlery, pre-packed cutlery, cups, plates and non-perishable food Items such as canned fish, canned meats, canned pureed veg, peanut butter, jars of baby food, powdered milk and baby formula.
This group’s initial efforts are to collect enough items through Saturday, September 21 to load one or two 18-wheeler trucks that will leave that evening headed to the Port of Miami, and then be shipped to the Bahamas. The group has elected to work with Bahamas’s NEMA to make sure logistically the items go where they are most needed.
Anyone interested in donating is encouraged to drop your items off by 5:00pm, September 21 at one of the primary drop-off locations listed above.
For more information please contact James Montague at 919-796-2546.
Source: In His Image Photography / In His Image Photography
