Hurricane Relief is All About Working Together
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.
Cane Bay Cares is a service initiative of St. Croix-based Cane Bay Partners VI, LLLP. Cane Bay Cares was established after three strong hurricanes, including two Category 5 storms, Irma and Maria, caused much damage to St. Croix during September 2017. The initiative has a goal of providing relief to the citizens of St. Croix. To make this possible, we have partnered with St. Croix Foundation, which is a 501c3 nonprofit that was established in 1990. All donations to Cane Bay Cares are donations to St. Croix Foundation and are 100% tax deductible.
Cane Bay Partners VI, LLLP was formed in June 2009 and founded by internationally experienced business executives with many years of experience in the financial services industry. Focusing our efforts primarily in the financial services industry, our management consulting practice specializes in providing services to clients in need of sophisticated risk management models, debt collections organizations which require liquidation models and analytics, and portfolio management companies desiring a variety of services.
Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been advancing holistic community development as a pathway to economic prosperity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability. Established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, today the Foundation is one of the premier place-based philanthropic leaders in the Virgin Islands. Having served as the conduit of over $37 million private and public sector dollars invested into the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Foundation’s impact has netted national recognition in almost every priority area – from economic development and community revitalization to public health, education reform, and nonprofit development. Our mission is to encourage greater philanthropic activity, to marshal resources, and to act as a catalyst to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands.