Hello, my name is Olivia Whittingham native of Jamaica, currently living in California and this is a heartfelt plea to everyone during what has become one of the hardest times our families have ever faced. My cousins, loved ones, family homes and community were devastated by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. In just a few hours everything they built and cherished was torn away — homes destroyed, roofs ripped off, and precious belongings either swept away by floods or scattered by the wind.

We’re so thankful that no lives were lost, but what remains is heartbreaking. A matriarch of the family, already bedridden by cancer has now lost the home he built through years of dedication. The children have lost the only homes they’ve ever known, and the adults who once worked so hard to provide for them are now left with without hope.

It’s difficult to put into words the weight of seeing cousins, great grand relatives, aunts and uncles in so much sadness and hopelessness.

We are doing our part with exhausting all options and have raised as much as we can among our family but I am also reaching out — from my heart — to ask for help. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a difference.

This will help with:

Rebuilding- restoring homes to habitable conditions with

Providing Essentials- food items, water, hygiene products, clothes, etc.

Supplies- Batteries, candles, etc

All donations will be aiding the efforts to help rebuild a community of people, children and elders.

Thank you.