By Chris Lewis | Oct. 15
Thanks to people in Riverhead, S.M.B., some families in the Dominican Republic have a bit more to eat for Thanksgiving.
Sid Woolfrey organised the fundraising campaign to help families there with the guidance of fellow teacher, Patty Briscoe, who teaches in the Dominican.
Briscoe’s school was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many in the small Caribbean nation, their only solid meal of the day came from school. With schools closed, that meal was no longer available.
After talking to Riverhead Mayor Sheila Lee about Briscoe’s situation, Woolfrey and Lee collaborated to see enough money sent to feed approximately 100 families during Thanksgiving.
“When COVID hit, not only were the schools closed, but no markets were allowed,” Lee said. “They were all shut down too. So, their only source of income was gone on them too.”
Lee said Briscoe told her stories of small children begging on the streets, despite that area being relatively well-off compared to other parts of the Dominican Republic.
Lee added that Briscoe had the opportunity to return to the province in August, but instead she decided to stay and do what she could to help the locals. With school closed, she had some extra time on her hands, and used it to make contact with friends and family back home in Newfoundland to try and raise money that could be used to feed the hungry.
With that money, Briscoe bought food in bulk – staples such as beans and flour – and organized it into small hampers, delivering it to those in need.
The hampers could feed a family for a week, despite only costing around $10.
“I put a message out there to people I knew would be able to help,” Lee said. “I was hoping for 50 friends of mine that might be able to donate maybe $20 to this little Thanksgiving project. That would give 100 families a nice meal on Thanksgiving, plus some extra food for the week.”
Lee’s call to action got an overwhelming response. In a week, the effort had accumulated $1,000.
Lee added that Briscoe will be posting photos online so that donors can see the payoff from their contributions.
“The gratitude on their little faces is just so great, you know?” Lee said, adding the children are delighted to be given something as small as a banana – food that, Lee added, some children here in the province may turn away.
Now, Lee is hoping the effort will inspire others, especially with the Christmas season around the corner.
“If we could get a couple different groups to realize how important this kind of thing is, that could be the difference between one family eating for a week, or struggling,” Lee said. “Hopefully, we can plant that seed in people’s minds now. Maybe someone can take on a Christmas project, and see what we can do for those poor souls this time of year.”
In total, Woolfrey and Lee have helped to send over $6,000 to Briscoe in the Dominican Republic for food.
“(Briscoe) said to (Woolfrey) that the people over there were just overwhelmed with excitement that some people who didn’t even know who they are would have that kind of compassion, and lend them a helping hand,” Lee said.
