Clothes, food, water collected by university students distributed

Sandy Ground residents congregate at a distribution point for a handout of clothes, shoes and water on Saturday. (Photo Robert Luckock)

MARIGOT–A container full of clothes, shoes, food and water sent to St. Martin by a Bordeaux University student association is in the process of being distributed in the districts.

The distribution in St. Martin is being handled by the Hope Party Association. The supplies, including school materials, were collected in September and October 2017 as a response to the crisis in St. Martin following Hurricane Irma on the initiative of St. Martin students studying in France.

The student association in Bordeaux is called St. Martin Bordeaux Cultural Connection whose President is Terrison Benjamin. Also involved in coordination was the Pelicarus Association. Supplies were delivered to the Maison de St. Martin in Paris.

“This 20 ft. container was filled by the St. Martin student association in Bordeaux after they had appealed for donations,” explained Hope Party President, Jules Charville, at a distribution point in Sandy Ground on Saturday. “Unfortunately, there was a month delay as the freight still had to be paid and the students needed help with that. They had part of the money, but when I heard about it, it really touched me about the effort they had gone to.

Students from the St. Martin Bordeaux Cultural Connections association in France who participated in the initiative for St. Martin. (Photo Pelicarus Association Facebook)

“So, we contributed to the freight cost. The association also asked if we could do the distribution here as obviously they could not do that. So, I accepted and we are doing the distribution in their name. We are not showing any colours that it is us doing it. We are doing it in their name and we are just assisting,” Charville stressed.

The container arrived only two weeks ago.

“It’s only when you are involved in something like this that you realise the problem still exists even seven months after Irma,” he added. “The week before the distribution was in Grand Case. This coming Saturday we are going to be in French Quarter. The week after, in Rambaud and Colombier. We are out of food; the dry goods and canned stuff, so it is mostly clothes, shoes, water and school supplies that are left.”

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75257-clothes-food-water-collected-by-university-students-distributed

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