My name is Winsome Pendergrass. As you all know, Hurricane Melissa has just slammed into the western and southern parts of Jamaica. My heritage is in South St. James, which is my mother's birthplace. All my cousins and I enjoyed the stories of our families who were born and raised on the Kensington Estates during the slave period. This little district is now flattened. The elders are farmers, and the youngsters work in the hotel industry or the call centers in the city.

My auntie's house, where I stayed sometimes, was a wood house now destroyed. My cousin, Ardett Vernon, is a nurse's aide suffering from kidney disease, yet she's still out in the community at this time helping the sick and infirmed with nowhere to lay her head. Like me, she loves to serve. I'm asking for assistance to put a roof over her head. Please, no amount is too small. Thank you.