Support Helen and her island's subsistence fishing

Jared Sidman is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

With everything happening today in our own country, it’s easy to forget that there are parts of the world that struggle even more than most of us do. For those of you that support local causes, I know that your commitment to community is something that you don't take lightly.

We all love our communities and we love pooling resources to help support them. Sometimes community stretches further than any of us could imagine. Sometimes it stretches to places that none of us have ever heard of. For me, it stretches to a tiny speck of sand in the Pacific Ocean called Falalop. I encourage you to Google it: Falalop Island, Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia.

For being so small, it’s amazing the impact it had on our victory in the second World War!

I lived there for 2 years, on a 1-square mile island with 300 beautiful and compassionate people that took me in as one of their own. Helen "adopted" me for the duration of my time there - which I quickly learned is a common thing for her to do. Informal adoption of the island kids is something you see constantly, but the amount of kids aged from less than a year old to now being in their 40's that call Helen mom is staggering. Her love is boundless and was the biggest reason that I stayed out in this remote place for so long!

These people have survived with little to nothing for centuries, but as the environmental changes shape a new reality for them, being able to travel further and further away from their island home is vital to catching their food for survival. Boat motors for their small vessels are now a necessity and acquiring the means to purchase them poses quite the challenge. (The $3K would cover the boat motor and the delivery costs to get it from Kolonia, Pohnpei to Falalop, Yap!)

I am asking for your help. I know it's a big ask and I know that you may never get the chance to meet these people, but I encourage you to open your hearts for the people who opened theirs to me. Community is all we have at the end of the day, and it shouldn't know any boundaries.

The language on these islands doesn’t even include a word for “Hello” – they simply say, “Come and Eat” (Bu-tho Mon-goy). What a beautiful concept. For people with not a lot, they’ll still give you everything they have in the name of love.

I hope that you’ll ask me more about my journey via email ([email redacted]) and about the impact that Helen and her island/it's people have had on me. Something as simple as a new boat motor is a resource that can provide these people with the ability to survive and thrive for years to come.