P.E.I. group hoping to fill trailer for Bahamas

Island to Island Hurricane Relief is asking Prince Edward Islanders to fill a trailer with health and wellness goods to ship to areas of the Bahamas still trying to recover from Hurricane Dorian.

Luke Ignace, originally from Freeport, Grand Bahama, is leading the group, which has obtained a trailer with the help of the City of Charlottetown that is now sitting in the Sobeys parking lot at University and Allen Streets.

"The island is recovering slowly in terms of certain stores and businesses opening, but the destruction is just catastrophic. I personally have family members who lost everything," said Ignace.

"This hits very deep for a lot of students here. I'm not the only person in this situation. There are a few of my friends whose parents had to leave Abaco altogether because they had no chance to rebuild," he said.

Dorian struck the Bahamas Sept. 1 and hung over the islands for days with wind gusts up to 350 km/h. Ignace said there are many international students on P.E.I. looking to help their families back home.

"We can't take anything too big, right? We're asking for more little items. Items that can go to individuals, items that make people feel better, look better, live healthier lives," said Ignace.

"Items that would make them feel like humans, that would make them feel like somebody is caring about them."

Those items could include

• Deodorant.
• Towels.
• Bottles of water.
• Tampons and pads.
• Diapers.

Once the trailer is full, McQuaid's has offered to transport it to Halifax to be shipped south, said Ignace. The target date for shipping is Nov. 20.

Anyone interested in making a donation can drop it by the trailer weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. The group will also be offering Saturday drop-off times. Watch their Facebook page for updates.

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