Mets coach helping keep Curacao fed
There are nights New York Mets bench coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens can barely stay awake at the dinner table.
There are mornings his body aches when getting out of bed.
His hands are raw, his feet are calloused, but Monday was a new day, a new challenge, inspiring new hope.
Meulens the first native of Curacao to reach the major leagues, spending eight years in the New York Yankees organization and hitting 330 homers in the U.S., Japan, South Korea and Mexico, now is embarking on the greatest challenge of his life.
He is trying to protect and preserve his homeland, the proud island where he was born 52 years ago, raised and never left.
“We have never had a disaster or catastrophe that has wiped out the economy like this has,’’ Meulens tells USA TODAY. “This is a pretty lovely place to be, but now it’s so hard because you’re seeing so much suffering. We rely on tourism, and with no tourists, people are not getting paid. So they have no place to go, and with no money, they have no food on their own tables.
“It’s so difficult to watch. People who were proud and providing for their families now need our help. They are embarrassed it has come to this, but they have no choice because they have to eat.”
Meulens is not permitted to leave his home on Sundays because of government regulations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and can drive his car only on Mondays and Thursdays. But that hasn’t deterred him from working at the Voedselbank Curacao, a food bank where he prepares meals for unemployed tourism workers.
He wakes up by 7 every morning, helps his wife home-school their three children, ages 6 to 10, and heads to the food bank, where he works with volunteers to stuff groceries and necessities into bags before delivering them to families. They are preparing 1,500 meals a day, with hopes of reaching 10,000, and on Monday started delivering precooked meals to families without gas and electricity.
“We can’t cater to all of them,’’ says Meulens, who was knighted by his native land in 2012 for meritorious service, “but we’re helping out the best we can. The food bank is doing a great job. We just have to make sure people take care of their health.’’
Curacao, the Dutch island of about 160,000 residents just north of the Venezuelan coast, has imposed harsh restrictions to control the spread of the coronavirus. Officials started by prohibiting people from leaving their homes with the exception of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 5 p.m., to 7 p.m., before recently relaxing those rules.
The strict curfew has worked. There have been only 16 positive COVID-19 cases, with one fatality.
“People are going crazy, but we just have to be careful,” Meulens says. “Even now, you can’t even be on the streets after 9 at night. Roadblocks are everywhere. Cops and military are watching. If you’re on the streets, you will be arrested.’’
Twice a day there are updates, first from Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath at 11:30 a.m., and then from medical experts at 8 p.m. And every day they pray normalcy is around the corner.
“I think we’re out of the woods with the virus,’’ Meulens says, “but people are scared. They need businesses to open. We need tourism to come back. I think it’s going to take a while before the let the tourists to come back in.’’
The most beautiful sight of all, Meulens
says, will be the day cruise ships are again sailing, stopping in Willemstad, Curacao to unload thousands of tourists. The shops, restaurants and hotels will be bustling with people again. There will be music. The beautiful island of Curacao will be alive.
But for now, there is only darkness, and the vacant looks of despair among its citizens, with only grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations staying open.
The baseball fields, which have produced the likes of current Major League Baseball stars Didi Gregorius of the Philadelphia Phillies, Kenley Jansen of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jonathan Schoop of the Detroit Tigers, Andrelton Simmons of the Los Angeles Angels and Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves, are vacant.
“It’s just like baseball,’’ Meulens says, “everybody is itching to get back. But no one knows when we will play again. We stay in touch with Zoom calls with the front office and coaching staff once a week. We keep in touch with the players, making sure we care about their well-being, and that they’re staying active.
“But the unknown is so tough on everyone.’’
In the meantime, Meulens puts on his mask each day, goes to the food bank, stuffs hundreds of bags with food and supplies and makes door-to-door deliveries before heading home to see his family.
“Just like baseball,’’ Meulens says, “we are going to get through this. I know we will. We just have to do everything we can to help each other so that when we do come back, this will make us stronger than ever before.
“But it’s so quiet on the streets right now. The restaurants. The beaches. The baseball fields. Everything. We have to have faith we can hear and feel joy again, loud than ever.’’
Voedselbank Curacao, the food bank where Meulens works, is accepting donations through Maduro & Curiel’s Bank. They can also be contacted at curacaovoedselbank@gmail.com.