ADRA Assists on the Island of Anguilla After Hurricane Devastation

President of North Caribbean Conference Pastor Desmond James (left) stands with a group of ADRA volunteers on the island of Anguilla, after distributing food hampers to dozens of needy families, on Oct. 11, 2017. Image courtesy of the Anguillan Newspaper

October 26, 2017 | St. Croix, Virgin Islands | NCC Staff

The North Caribbean Conference (NCC), through it humanitarian agency, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), arranged and distributed supplies to the people of Anguilla on Oct. 11, 2017.

President of the NCC Pastor Desmond James, and ADRA Coordinator Wilmoth James, were on hand to assist in the coordination and distribution of the over 500 food hampers to the community on the island.

The team from the conference was happy to have the assistance of Griffith Webster, an Anguillan, who came from ADRA Canada to volunteer his services.

“As a church, we are an organization that cares for people, and ADRA is an arm that we use to respond to disasters,” said Pastor James. “We have mobilized the church in Anguilla and have several volunteers coming out to respond to the disaster.”

With the conference overseeing ten islands, all of which have been devastated and disrupted by the Hurricanes Irma and Maria last month, leaders were happy to visit island territories to assess the damage and see how to respond to help the needs of the people, said James.

“Our first response is to those who have been dispossessed of the basic necessities of life – food, water and shelter, and how we can help them,” said James. “We have two responses: the initial response is to meet their immediate needs so that they can be comfortable and not hungry; and the second response will be the recovery where we will help them to rebuild their homes.”

NCC administrators also wanted to meet with members and encourage them in pick up the pieces after the hurricane.

“We have deposited over 35,000 US dollars in this venture, funded by the ADRA, which is to benefit the community at large,” said James. “The volunteers are going to disperse the supplies across the Anguillan community to all those who are in need,” added President James.

“It is a pleasure to assist the Anguillan community,” said Wilmoth James. “The food supplies are an act of love to all persons regardless of denomination, creed, or culture.”

ADRA has been in other parts of the conference including Tortola, St. Maarten and the US Virgin Islands.

“We have also dialogued with the Anguillan Government to see if we can develop an ADRA chapter in Anguilla to be a quicker response to the people of the island when disaster strikes,” said Wilmoth. So far the distribution center for the large quantity of food and water supplies is located at the Anguilla Seventh-day Adventist District Office in the Mason Complex.

As ADRA continues its humanitarian work in Anguilla, the community is blessed from the organization working with the members to be the “hands and feet of Jesus,” Wilmoth said.

There over 1,000 Seventh-day Adventists worshiping in three churches one company.