Back-to-school treat in Cross Keys helps alleviate post-Beryl struggles

Cislyn Gregory readied her four grandchildren and headed to Cross Keys last Tuesday to take advantage of Shelly-Ann Richmond’s back-to-school treat, which was organised for children from the south Manchester district and surrounding areas.

Gregory’s grandchildren, aged five to 15 years, were among nearly 400 individuals who benefited from the event, receiving stationery and other school supplies, such as notebooks, crayons, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and rulers.

“It has helped very much. It has taken away some of the back-to-school expenses that everybody has to face at this time. And it is not easy after the hurricane passed and affected everybody. You can see that from the many persons who came here this morning,” Gregory told The Gleaner.

She disclosed that she lost the roof of a section of her home, and with no help from the state agencies, they are slowly trying to recover from Beryl’s blow in early July.

“So the treat was welcomed,” she added.

Veronica Maxwell, a chicken farmer from Marlie Hill, said also made the journey to collect supplies for her three grandchildren.

She lost nearly 700 pounds of chicken as a result of the hurricane.

“Normally, I would begin to kill [the chickens] at six weeks, but because of the hurricane and no electricity, I kept them till nine weeks. It didn’t make sense that I kill them before. I kept them till they were weighing close to 10 pounds. I did everything to sell and store, but in the end, everything just went to waste as the [lack of] electricity messed up everything,” she told The Gleaner.

She said the poultry farmers in the region suffered heavy losses as with the power disruption, many potential customers also shied away from purchasing meat. Furthermore, many said they could only eat so much and no more chicken.

Shop owners said that not since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 have tin mackerel sold in such high volumes as many customers turned to canned goods.

While light was restored to the communities two weeks ago, the residents are still not satisfied as the frequent power outages that have plagued them for much of the last decade have also returned.

Richmond, who went to Woodlands Primary School in Manchester, has been staging the annual treat with the help of relatives and friends for more than a decade. It was suspended in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, but she responded to requests for its revival, despite contemplating cancelling it because of substantial customs duties.

“I grew up here and the preparation for the education I received in the United States did not start in the USA. It began at Woodlands Primary, and I know the value of the system we have in Jamaica despite all its problems. And that has inspired my giving back.

“I am amazed at the high cost to clear the goods. Jamaican Customs officials all but suggested that I was going to sell the goods,” Richmond told The Gleaner last week.

She and a nine-member team of volunteers, which included her sister, mother, aunt, school friends, and members of her prayer group, aided in the distribution.

“Why would I leave my job in the US to come to Jamaica [each year] to sell schoolbooks? I have tried several ways to get some assistance to reduce the costs, but at the end of the day, I knew I had to clear them. My life was back in the States and I could not afford for it to drag out any longer,” she said, showing shipping, clearance, and transportation bills totalling nearly $1 million.

And stationery were not the only gifts to the communities.

“We brought stuff for the health clinic, including an exercise bicycle, nutritional drinks for diabetics and persons who cannot take solid foods, adult disposable diapers, [as well as] some of our personal stuff – new and used – as part of giving back,” said Richmond.

She added that used furniture were also donated to assist persons who lost their possessions during the hurricane.

“I know the area. I know the needs. People enquired when I was coming because there is always something for everyone,” said the Yale University-trained educator and ordained minister of religion.

Richmond told The Gleaner that the money she earns from her job as a hospital chaplain is poured entirely into the foundation registered as I Am Somebody’s Adored Child.

Richmond is also acutely aware of the learning loss suffered by children attending the many schools in the region as a result of the unreliable electricity supply, which creates challenges for schools and hinders research capabilities.

It is a situation that Yoki Reid knows very well.

“There is never a week when the electricity does not go. It came back when they said it would, and since then, it goes for two and three days without notification. Now people are losing electrical appliances and the JPS (Jamaica Public Service) does not care,” Reid commented.

She said the Jamaica Fire Brigade had to be summoned to put out fires on high-tension wires since power was restored after the hurricane.

“This situation (frequent outages) has been happening long before the hurricane. It is just worse now. I believe both the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and JPS know that when calls come in to complain about loss of service, they know the caller is Yoki, but it makes no difference, and the OUR has no use either, as far as I can see,” she complained.

The loss of electricity also affected dressmakers and tailors, who were last week working feverishly to have uniforms ready for the new school year. The parents said the dressmakers could not fill all the jobs by the summer holidays, but promised to try their best to ensure that each child had at least one new uniform for the first day of school.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com