COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Cedella Marley, the daughter of late, legendary reggae singer Bob Marley, joined Food For The Poor in Coconut Creek Friday to aid in relief efforts for Jamaica and surrounding island nations devastated by Hurricane Beryl.
“I would rather be here than anywhere else today,” Marley said. “This is a humanitarian crisis.”
As volunteers packed hygiene products, diapers, and non-perishable foods to be shipped to those in need, Marley shared her heartbreak with Local 10 News.
“It breaks my heart. You never want to go to bed one night and in the blink of an eye your roof is gone,” she said. “Just imagine that could’ve been you.”
Marley discussed the importance of collective effort in times of crisis.
“We all have to step up and do our part,” she said.
Food For The Poor President and CEO Ed Raine showcased his organization’s warehouse, soon to be emptied by the relief shipments.
According to a Food For the Poor news release, at least seven hurricane-related deaths have been reported in Jamaica.
Initial damage reports indicate scores of essential roadways and bridges are either impassable or destroyed and an upward of 400,000 homes and businesses are without electricity and water as of Friday.
“By the end of next week, most of this will already be shipped,” Raine said. “We pre-staged all kinds of kits… this one storm has cleared that out, so we need to re-stock all of that.”
The relief supplies are set to help tens of thousands affected by the hurricane, bringing much-needed aid to the devastated regions.
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