There are so many wonderful organizations working to help bring aid and long-term recovery support to the Virgin Islands and St. Croix in particular. Most of us are figuring it out as we go, setting up supply chains, connecting the right resources and partnering with critical organizations that already have one aspect covered. We’ve developed so many meaningful partnerships and friendships along the way. One such partnership is with a variety of groups and people, including John Dema of ReV!ve, Tanner Lewis of Brandon Transfer, and Kimberly Bentley, Michael Capponi and Robert Rodrigo with BStrongGlobalBetter.
BStrongGlobalBetter has been accepting disaster relief at their donated 60,000-foot warehouse in Florida for several months, and have been supplying various 501c3’s throughout USVI, BVI, Puerto Rico, Dominica with containers full of donations. Perfect Heart in St. Thomas has distributed 10 of their containers so far, and Cane Bay Cares will now be involved with logistical support for goods going to St. Croix. It was a natural fit, so of course we were happy to partner with them.
BStrongGlobalBetter is a coalition of groups trying to address issues all over the world. Their mission name is a hybrid of three NGOs that have come together for this endeavor: BStrong / Global Empowerment Mission / We Do Better (and supported by Third Wave Volunteers & humanitarian Dr. Alison Thompson). They worked very hard and gathered the support of hundreds to collect all the goods that we will distribute on St. Croix, including:
- 4 pallets of water
- 2 pallets of food
- 3 pallets of baby supplies and formula
- 3 pallets of hygiene products
- 6 pallets of cleaning supplies
- 2 pallets of paper products
- 2 pallets of first aid supplies
John Dema of ReV!ve stepped up to pay for the shipping to St. Croix in partnering with Tanner Lewis of Brandon Transfer. Tanner, who is from the Virgin Islands, has been instrumental in shipping logistics with delivering aid through BStrongGlobalBetter.
It’s all a group effort and we really appreciate them considering St. Croix and Cane Bay Cares for their next aid shipment.
All it takes is a spark of desire to want to do more, to help others in need – and somehow the rest all comes together. If you or someone you know is interested in partnering with Cane Bay Cares, or want to learn more about how to get involved in assisting St. Croix, email us at info@canebaycares.org
Stay tuned to our Facebook page @CaneBayCares for an announcement of when these goods will be distributed on St. Croix.