Parishioners and students throughout the Diocese of Central Florida are giving thanks for God’s grace and sending supplies to the Bahamas in planeloads!​

Students at Trinity Prep, Winter Park, organized a hurricane relief drive for those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas Sept. 6 and 9 at morning and afternoon pick-up. ​

Henry, left, and Simon Brown           PHOTO: Trinity Prep

Henry Brown, with the help of his brother Simon, spearheaded both the drive and collecting donations at the carpool line. “With the help of my friends during daily carpools, we were able to collect three carloads of goods for the people of the Bahamas. After collection, we took the materials to the airport and worked with HeadKnowles, a non-profit that flew the supplies out to the islands.”

This mission was personal for Henry because he used to live in the Bahamas. “I lived for four years on a small island southeast of Nassau.”

Donated items include food supplies, water, canned goods, hygiene items, feminine hygiene products, first aid kits, mosquito repellent, large trash bags, bleach, cleaning supplies, childcare items, baby supplies, clothing, household items, blankets, water bottles, pet food, air mattresses, flashlights, and batteries. ​

One of the three truckloads of supplies collected by Trinity Prep students. PHOTO: Trinity Prep

As she drove to work September 5, Mrs. Jennie Johnson, the third-grade teacher at St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy, Cocoa, wasn’t sure what to do about the hurting in her heart.  “Driving to work on our first day back after the hurricane, my heart was hurting for the Bahama people.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to or how to act on it,” she explains.

The Lord began to show her His plan in that week’s Chapel. Head of School, Mrs. Joi Robertson, shared the story of Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3. “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

After she shared the Scripture, Robertson began speaking to the students about blessings. The students shared a variety of ways that they are blessed. “Mrs. Robertson elaborated that God has blessed us in many ways, and those blessings were intended to be shared with others. Not just the permission of salvation, but also, including all of the good things the Lord has given us,” says Johnson.

Robertson also told the children, “God blesses us, so we bless others.” ​

At that point, Johnson knew what God wanted. “That one sentence she shared struck my heart, and I felt the Lord guiding me into action,” she says. ” Right then and there, I knew that the third grade’s community service project would be blessing the Bahama people.”

The class was able to collect tools, nails, shelving hardware, screws, and more. They also received a donation from the family of a St. Mark’s alumnus. River Road Coffee and Sunset Cafe also helped with the drive. The Solano Family shipped the supplies to the Bahamas.

Pictured from left to right: Noah, Samir, Marina, Kaylin, Kayden, Richard, Adrian, Kayvon, Tyler, Stella, Graydon, Andrei, Isabella, and RJ. PHOTO: St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy

Each year the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of St. Anne’s, Crystal River, budget for emergency support in the community and worldwide.

This year they have decided to send money to the Salvation Army for Hurricane Dorian Relief. “It was a good fit to allocate some of those funds to the Hurricane Dorian Relief, ” says Linda Axelson of the St. Anne’s ECW. ​

The group has thinned because several of their current members have moved away or passed away, but their spirit remains strong. ​

Front Row, left to right: Sandy Randolph, Evelyn Mayer, Pat Oatsvall, Charo Luciano. Back Row, left to right: Linda Axelson, Deborah Gallagher, Edwina Reisig, Jean Meiselman, Bobbie Zerbe, Charlene Guthas, Doris Flynn, Jeanne Goodkind, Mary Kalbaugh PHOTO: St. Anne’s Episcopal Church

“Our Episcopal Church Women (ECW) work together as though they have one heart – and it’s a big one,” says Axelson. “They work to support many ministries within our church’s walls and special programs in the community. The Lord has blessed these women by binding their hearts together with a single purpose – to lighten the burden of those who have suffered so much.”