In the basement freezer of my grandparents' home in Jamaica lies approximately 280 lbs of chicken and about 80 lbs of pork, from animals owned by my mother and uncle that were raised and slaughtered by the community members we employ. Here is a video of the poultry and pork, taken by my Grandma a few days ago: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OZNJXfqaMQad23nJLro6-193Qj8GNF6_/view?usp=sharing.
The chicken coop and pigpen are longtime family projects, and the fruits (or meats?) of this labor are now in jeopardy because of the ongoing power outage affecting much of rural Jamaica.
My grandmother has had to constantly refill a generator with gasoline to supply the freezer with electricity. Without power, it can sustain meats at a low enough temperature for around 3 - 5 days. Because gasoline has been expensive and difficult to acquire in the wake of the storm, power has been intermittent at best, which brings us to this fundraiser and how YOU can help!
We are seeking to raise these funds to PAY FOR THE CHICKEN AND PORK to be FREELY DISTRIBUTED to those without access to food on account of this particularly devastating hurricane. In effect, your donation will help us kill 2 (or 3, maybe 4?) birds with one stone: you'll allow the chicken and pork that my mom and uncle intended to sell to be payed for, and you'll be donating those same essential proteins to the people in our local community who simply can't afford it. One of the economic windfalls of Melissa is the SKYROCKETING price of EVERYTHING in Jamaica, something which had already been occurring in recent years and has recently accelerated. This, coupled with the damage wreaked on the agriculture we depend on for sustenance, has had a catastrophic effect on the cost and availability of all food items across the country.
Again, this is where you can help. We are asking for $1500 to pay for my mom's chicken, $700 to pay for my uncle's pork, and $300 to contribute to keeping the freezer running and assist in distribution/clean up efforts in our immediate vicinity. Any amount helps!