We were so honored to be featured in TV2 VI’s Hurricane Maria Unsung Heros special. They did a beautiful job capturing the raw emotion that we experienced in the aftermath of both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, which led us to embark on a massive hurricane relief effort and long-term rebuild initiative.
It was an emotional time for all of us. Thanks to several quick thinking members of our team, including founders David Johnson and Kirk Chewning, we were able to spring into action and help people throughout the aftermath. Johnson and Chewning, as well as Kyle Lajoie, were instrumental in helping our sister islands St. Thomas and St. John in the aftermath of Irma. Despite having exhausted supplies on island, they worked their resources stateside to bring in needed aid to St. Croix.
For many involved in the effort, it was our first time coordinating such a large scale mission. It was a learning process but in the end, we were able to directly impact more than 17,000 St. Croix residents, delivering more than 75,000 pounds of aid, including 50,000 bottles of water, 4,000 medical freezer packs, 44 generators, 800 solar lights, tarps, tools, medical supplies, and many other items to meet needs. And, recently we made a $45,000 donation to the St. Croix Long-Term Recovery Group to support the reconstruction of roofs on St. Croix, and to complete volunteer housing..
It has been a humbling experience, filled with many emotional ups and downs. But at the end of the day it was all worth it, so much so that we’re committed to this effort for the foreseeable future, and helping St. Croix and the USVI in any way we can.