Relief package leaves P.E.I.
Grand Bahamian native manages to fill 30-foot container with supplies
A 30-foot container full of relief supplies is en route to Grand Bahamas, which was ravaged by hurricane Dorian in 2019.
It left Charlottetown on Jan. 30 and is expected to arrive at its destination by the middle of this month.
“I feel good; it’s done,’’ said Luke Ignace, who led a P.E.I. effort that stretched as far as Halifax to pull in items for the hospital in his native country that was all but destroyed.
Ignace is a student at Holland College and runs his own Black barber business on Victoria Row.
He has been collecting medical supplies, such as gowns and scrubs, wheelchairs, medical bags, walkers, hospital bedding and infection kits, as well as items for kids, including soccer balls and Frisbees.
“It’s been crazy trying to bring a lot of people together … and trying to stay on top of things. This was a long time coming, and it’s finally done. I had a lot invested in it.’’
However, Ignace is very quick to add that this wasn’t his effort alone.
He said filling the container would not have been possible without the help of Kevin Murphy, who donated space at his warehouse on Longworth Avenue for storage, the Summerside Rotary Club,
“We can move on to bigger and better things. The mission isn’t over. We’ll be following up on (the donated supplies). We know now that we have created a container shipment model and we have an idea as to how it works.’’ Luke Ignace
Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown, Charlottetown MP Sean Casey and Premier Dennis King.
The Guardian highlighted Ignace’s plan in an article that ran in November after a community fundraiser pulled in $11,000 for supplies.
Ignace said he recently just happened to run into the premier at a bank in Charlottetown where King said he read the story and would like to help.
Ignace said not long after that he ran into King again in downtown Charlottetown where the premier said his office would pay to have the container shipped to Grand Bahamas.
Ignace said words fail him when it comes to expressing his gratitude other than to say it shows him just how special a place P.E.I. is and how blessed he is to call it home.
“At that point, I didn’t want to give up,’’ he said.
“We can move on to bigger and better things. The mission isn’t over. We’ll be following up on (the donated supplies). We know now that we have created a container shipment model and we have an idea as to how it works.’’
Ignace plans on heading to Grand Bahamas to visit his family before returning to Prince Edward Island this summer.
“I haven’t seen my parents or my brothers and sisters in more than two years, but I’ll be back, man, count on it.’’
Ignace would like to continue helping the effort to rebuild his homeland.
His thoughts for future fundraising efforts include providing sustainable housing, temporary housing, mobile housing and mobile classrooms.