A dear friend of mine and Waukesha resident, Suzette, was born in a community called Sellington, Fyffes Pen in St. Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, which was hard-hit by Hurricane Melissa. Although Suzette left Jamaica in her teens, it is still home to her and she tries to visit every year to see family and enjoy time in her home country. The category 5 storm destroyed the majority of the structures in this area, which has been considered "ground zero" for Hurricane Melissa.

Not one to ask for much, Suzette reached out to some local friends here in the US to try to pull together some money to try to provide 100-150 families with necessities such as rice, flour, body wash, cooking oil, toothpaste, toothbrushes, solar flashlights, etc. She and her husband, Clayton, have been in contact with a food distributor in Jamaica that would help distribute care packages, and they are also hoping either Clayton or Suzette can go to Jamaica in December to help with distributing packages and other recovery needs.

I asked Suzette if I could help her try to reach more people in hopes that we can provide more help to more people and maybe even provide enough to fund building materials and other ongoing needs. Every cent from this fundraiser will go to Suzette to get relief to those who need it most with her connection to her Jamaican family and friends.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration to help. Even the smallest donations will add up to help, as our money goes further in Jamaica. We will try to provide updates and photos, if possible, to show how you have helped.

Kelly Maddern

Below is the before and after of a place called Border. Suzette is ordering lobster there when she visited in June, and now it is demolished.