The Rev. Carla Rhoades, deacon at St. David’s by-the-Sea, marvels at the outpouring for the Bahamas. PHOTO: Jeanne Weaver

Parishes and schools throughout the Central Florida Diocese continue to respond to the Bahamas by sending supplies (and stuffed animals) in planeloads and boatloads!

St. David’s by-the-Sea, Cocoa Beach, has partnered with Air Mobile Ministries in Titusville to bring supplies collected by parishioners and friends. These supplies will be flown to the smaller islands in the Bahamas by Air One. “We have collected necessities such as clothes, diapers, paper goods and water,” explained The Rev. Carla Rhoades, deacon of St. David’s. “Their greatest need is clean water.”

​The drive is an ongoing effort between the parish and Air One. “It will take them a long time to recover from this devastation,” Rhoades added.  “We will help them as long as we can.”

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy‘s location of Ft. Pierce was the original landfall forecast for Hurricane Dorian.  The area was, thankfully, spared, and a plan to provide help to their Bahamian neighbors in need came together. On Friday,  Sept. 6, students, teachers and staff wore the colors of the Bahamian flag as they spearheaded a one-day, community-wide donation drive. In one day, the school, along with the parishioners of St. Andrew’s, raised $6,000.  

​In addition to the funds raised, the school is also collecting supplies for the victims. They are not limiting their donations to just the people of the Bahamas. Dog beds, sheets, and towels have since been donated to a local no-kill animal shelter that rescued 80 Bahamian dogs.

St. Andrew’s students Ari and Aden Jones donned yellow shirts on Sept. 6 during the money drive at the school. Yellow is one of the colors of the Bahamian flag.

Axle and Mikayla Day, students at St. Andrew’s, donned blue shirts on Sept. 6. Blue is one of the colors of the Bahamian flag. PHOTO: Courtesy of St. Andrew’s Academy

Students at St. Andrew’s attend chapel services on Sept. 6.  Everyone at the school wore clothes in the colors of the Bahamian flag that day. PHOTO: Courtesy of St. Andrew’s Academy

In addition to offerings to the Diocese for hurricane relief, parishioners at St. Matthias’s Episcopal Church in Clermont will be sending stuffed animals with notes.

Five-year-old parishioner Daniella Williams was watching the earliest reports from the Bahamas with her grandmother Gina Storr when she got the idea to send stuffed animals to the children. “She saw the reports with crying Bahamian children being relocated and scared,” explained Storr. “She said to me, ‘Granma, they must be so scared without their animals.'”

Later that night, while Storr was tucking her granddaughter into bed, Daniella told her grandmother that she wished she could give them one of her animals. “I said to her, ‘Maybe you can.’”

​When Daniella went back to school, she asked her class to help. “I thought maybe ten kids would bring in something,” said Storr. “Everyone brought in an animal!”

The next Sunday, Daniella spoke in front of the congregation and asked for donations. When she went to dance class and taekwondo lessons she asked for assistance there, too. “It’s amazing what the response has been,” said Storr. “But Daniella wasn’t done. She said to me, ‘I want to send all of the kids a note.'”

​Daniella wrote a note that is being professionally printed. A note will be pinned to every animal that goes to the Bahamas. The Bahamas Girl Guides will distribute the stuffed animals. “They know where the children are,” explained Storr.​

​Helping the Bahamas is a very personal mission for Daniella as she and her family are from the Bahamas.

Daniella Williams packs the donated animals in plastic bags before she packs them into boxes. The Bahamas Girl Guides will ensure that the children receive their new friends.  PHOTO: Gina Storr

Daniella Williams handed out this flyer to promote her efforts to help the children of the Bahamas. PHOTO: Gina Storr