Disaster Relief | 2017

In the fall of 2017, Hurricanes Irma, Maria, and Harvey devastated the Southern United States and islands across the Caribbean. In response to limited media spotlight on the Caribbean islands and people affected by the hurricanes, Roots Strong organized a disaster relief drive in our home-city of Detroit. Our focus on the Caribbean was intentional as we noticed that very little aid and outreach were reaching these islands in the Lesser Antilles, islands that were significantly devastated by the hurricanes and lacked the necessary infrastructure to rebuild.

In total, we were able to collect over 700 donations of clothing items, non-perishable food items, shoes, basic hygienic necessities, toys, medical tools, and emergency equipment. This initiative could not have been made possible without the contributions of our community supporters right here in the city of Detroit. Thank you to The Jamaican Pot for kindly serving as our primary donation drop-off site. Thank you to the West Indian Association of Michigan for collaborative efforts in serving the Caribbean community at such a critical time. In joining our donations with that of the WIA, we were able to donate more than 1,000 donations to Lesser Antillean islands affected by the hurricanes. Here at Roots Strong, we firmly believe that our roots are connected. We are truly grateful for our Detroit community supporting communities in the Caribbean in their time of need. This is what makes us Roots Strong.