NY volcanic relief pivots to clean-up, recovery
SVG Committee Relief, USA, Inc. volunteers, L-R: Terrance Edwards, Verna Arthur (chairperson), Annette
Stowe, Ancilla Friday, Elitha John, Viona Homerm and Julie Williams. Sandra Williams is in the
CARA urges indulgence in first National Caribbean American Restaurant Week
Caribbean Life, MAY 14-20, 2021 3
By Nelson A. King
As relief efforts continue
in the United States for
volcano-ravaged St. Vincent
and the Grenadines,
the Brooklyn-based SVG
Relief Committee, Inc. is
pivoting towards clean-up
and recovery efforts.
“Our relief effort continues,”
Verna Arthur,
chairperson of the SVG
Relief Committee, Inc.
told Caribbean Life
Wednesday morning.
“We have pivoted and are
now concentrating on the
clean- up/recovery phase.
“We are on pause, not
a complete stop,” added
Arthur, stating that the
main relief base in Brooklyn
is at the Friends of
Crown Heights Educational
Center, 671 Prospect
Pl.
“Instead of persons
dropping off items, persons
are now encouraged
to call for a scheduled pickup,”
continued Arthur,
a prominent Vincentian
cultural and community
figure in Brooklyn. “They
are kindly asked to state
what they are donating.
This approach affords us
the opportunity to control
what’s being donated.”
She said items – such
as water boots (sizes 9-12),
power washer, power
hoses, goggles, garden
shovels, forks, scrubbing
brooms, etc. — are needed
for the clean-up/recovery
phase.
To schedule a pickup,
Arthur asked that she and/
or other members of the
Committee be contacted,
including: Arthur – 718-
758-2416; Celia Bramble-
347-668-0774; Laverne
McDowald-Thompson
– 347-385-6227; Atiba
Williams 347-898-7501;
Garnes Byron – 917-856-
9722; and O’Brien Simmons
– 347-446-1827.
Arthur said financial
donations are ongoing
and that persons
can donate via: Zelle:
svgrelief784@gmail.com
and PayPal: http://bit.
ly/3dqvnAF.
Checks can also be
written, payable to: SVG
Relief USA, Inc. Mail to:
1654 Troy Ave., Brooklyn,
NY 11234.
Byron – who last Friday
received 15 barrel
of food stuff, PPEs and
other relief items from
workers at Brookdale
Hospital Brooklyn-vested
1199 SEIU and Clarendon
Road Church in East Flatbush,
Brooklyn — told
Caribbean Life: “We are
in this for the long haul.
“Once you say. ‘St. Vincent
and the Grenadines’,
I’m there,” said Byron,
the Committee’s assistant
public relations officer. “I
went through it (volcanic
eruptions) in ‘79, so I
know what the people are
going through.
“I’m even planning to
take a two-week vacation
to go down and help out
— do some power-washing,”
Byron added. “I did
it before (power-washing
in Kingstown, the Vincentian
capital).
“Atiba Williams (the
Committee’s the public
relations officer) and I are
hoping to go down and
help out,” he continued,
disclosing that they plan
to travel during the first
week in June, “providing
the quarantine protocol
does not change.”
“Once there’s a disaster,
and I have the health
and strength, I ‘ll be out
there doing stuff to get
it to St. Vincent and the
Grenadines — no matter
what the disaster is,” said
the very patriotic, hardworking
Vincentian.
Meantime, PricewaterhouseCoopers
(PwC) in
the Caribbean and the
PwC Charitable foundation
have collectively
raised over US$100,000
for disaster relief and
recovery efforts in St. Vincent
and the Grenadines,
reported the Barbados
Advocate on Sunday.
PwC is a global network
of firms delivering
assurance, tax and consulting
services for businesses.
On April 9, 2021, La
Soufriere Volcano in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
erupted explosively,
sending ash and gas
plumes miles into the sky
and affecting neighboring
Caribbean islands,
the Advocate said.
It said the eruption –
the volcano’s first explosive
event since 1979
– has displaced about
20,000 people and left
the entire population of
110,000 people without
clean drinking water or
electricity.
The Advocate said the
partners and staff of PwC
firms, operating in the
Caribbean, contributed a
total of over US$71,000.
The funds, which were
raised by firms in The
Bahamas, Bermuda, British
Virgin Islands, Cayman
Islands, East Caribbean
(Barbados and St.
Lucia), Guyana, Jamaica,
and Trinidad and Tobago
are being donated to
the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Management
Agency (CDEMA), the
Advocate said.
In addition, it said the
PwC Charitable Foundation
approved a grant of
US$30,000 to the St. Vincent
and the Grenadines
Red Cross, through the
American Red Cross.
A donation of
US$10,000 was made by
L&F Indemnity Limited
(L&F), the Bermudabased
captive insurance
company for the PricewaterhouseCoopers
network
of firms, the Advocate
said.
“We stand in solidarity
with the people of St.
Vincent and everyone
affected by La Soufriere’s
eruption,” the Advocate
quoted Frazer Lindsay,
chief executive officer of
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Caribbean Region, Ltd.,
as saying. “As we have
done in the past with
natural disasters in our
region, our people have
rallied quickly to demonstrate
our support for
those most in need, and
we thank them for their
tremendous efforts.”
Mike Bynoe, Territory
Leader, PwC East Caribbean
said: “We are one
Caribbean family; and, at
this time, our thoughts
are with our Vincentian
brothers and sisters.
By Nelson A. King
The Jamaica, Queensbased
Caribbean American
Restaurant Association
(CARA) has
announced the launch of
its first National Caribbean
American Restaurant
Week.
CARA said on Saturday
that this event will take
place from June 6-12,
2021 and is a part of the
celebrations of National
Caribbean American
Heritage month.
“This restaurant week
is aimed at aiding as
many restaurants as possible
restore the health
of their business to prepandemic
levels,” said
CARA in a statement.
“The slogan ‘Taste the
Culture, Savor the Vibes’
indicates the cultural
experience that awaits.
“Food lovers will
be able to eat to their
hearts’ content at local
participating Caribbeanowned
restaurants or
lounges across the United
States,” it added.
CARA said participating
restaurants will offer
specials and prix-fixe
meals as customers benefit
from affordable price
options for breakfast,
lunch, dinner or happy
hour.
Dine-in, take-out and
delivery through the
Bickle Meals app will be
offered, CARA said.
In October 2020,
the Deh Abroad Village
founded CARA to advocate
for and leverage Caribbean
American hospitality
businesses, provide
resources and eliminate
adverse actions that
have historically affected
them.
CARA said it is dedicated
to the enhancement
and accomplishments
of Caribbean culture
in the foodservice
industry.
“CARA’s goals are
centered on fighting
to reverse current City
and State policies that
target hospitality,” the
statement said. “They
seek to empower Caribbean
American businesses
to strive and achieve
more success than
they thought possible,
because they assuredly
understand the cultural
challenges faced.”
For those interested
in signing up for
the National Caribbean
American Restaurant
Week, registration can be
done online by visiting
the Caribbean American
Restaurant Association
website (www.linkcaranow.
org) and completing
the digital registration
form.
Registration provides
complimentary inclusion
to Deh Abroad Village,
(www.dehabroad.org) a
free information portal
containing an inventory
of businesses for the Caribbean
Diaspora.
foreground. Photo by Nelson A. King
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