The Jamaican Community in Orlando Sort And Pack Hurricane Dean Relief Items

Quik Ship Caribbean Services was the site of much activity on Fri 9/14 as various members of the Orlando community met there to assist in the effort to sort and pack the items donated by the local community for the Hurricane Dean relief efforts for Jamaica. This effort fell under the umbrella of the overall hurricane relief efforts of the Jamaican Consulate General.

Sandy Isaacs, owner of Break Away Moments whose organization helped in the effort to coordinate the established drop off /collection points throughout the Orlando area, is stated as saying “What I thought especially terrific, was the jovial mannerism that everyone exhibited, along with the camaraderie which existed as we all addressed the task. It demonstrated what can be accomplished when we work cohesively in any effort, and with a positive attitude”.

Individuals and organizations which came out to help included Caribbean View TV who captured the effort on film for viewers to see on Brighthouse Channel 21, Caribbean Students Association (CSA) from University of Central Florida, President of the Grenada Association of Central Florida, Tory Wynter of Cosmic World Beat, Maria Peralta (Past Pres. of Caribbean Tourism Organization’s local Florida Chapter), 2006 Business Woman of the Year, Mrs. Orlando 2006, Gaile Hill (American Express Travel Counselor), Anthony Bent and his caretaker from ‘A Door of Hope Ministries’ and other individuals in the community.

Seven of the local Caribbean restaurants joined together and provided a delicious meal of curry chicken, jerk chicken, brown stew chicken, rice & peas, drinks and more, for the volunteers. Caribbean One Stop, FiWe Caribbean Cuisine, Mark’s Caribbean Cuisine, Nev’s Caribbean Shop in Altamonte, Negril’s Flavors of Jamaica in Winter Park, Taste of Jamaica, and Caribbean Delites were the participating restaurants who readily offered these delicacies to the receptive volunteers. Roy Rattray (owner of Quik Ship Caribbean Services) and Molly his cheerful assistant, demonstrated their expertise for Caribbean shipping.

This Orlando effort helped to gain 3 full palettes of donations for the victims of Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. Quik Ship Caribbean Services and Findlay’s Shipping will now be sharing the cost of shipping these items to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Jamaica.