Fundraiser helps Cuban tornado victims

CNS Editor | 12/02/2019

(CNS Local Life): A fundraiser for victims of last month’s tornado in Havana, Cuba, brought the Cayman community out to a garage sale Saturday, 9 February, on the grounds of Tortuga Rum Company in Industrial Park. The event, organised by Cuban-Caymanians as well as people with ties to Cuba, was aimed to support ongoing recovery efforts after the F4 tornado hit 28 January, killing six people, injuring 197 and damaging the city’s infrastructure.

“Our team was in place before the crack of dawn and so were eagle-eyed customers looking to score a deal which in turn meant helping the Cuban families,” said organisers in a press release. “We opened at 7am and by 2pm when we packed up, almost 80 percent of the items were sold.”

The goods on sale, which included clothing, furniture, appliances and paintings were all donated by the community in the seven days leading up to the event. The unsold items will be donated to the Cayman Islands Red Cross.

People who walked by and didn’t shop donated cash instead. On the day more than $1,000 was collected.

“Everyone loves a happy ending,” said one of the organisers, “but for us the story behind the success is what’s really heart-warming. Tortuga Rum Company opened their warehouses for us to store donations, provided trucks to collect and transport the donations and a place to host the garage sale, free of cost. They then made a financial donation as well. Saxon Motor Insurance stepped up as well and donated $500.”

A total of almost US$6,670 was raised, with the money going towards assisting victims, focusing on the elderly with no family assistance, single mothers with no alternative resources and the physically or mentally impaired, the organisers said.

“We knew we could count on the generosity of the Cayman Islands community. We put the call out on behalf of our Cuban brothers and sisters in need of help and the true Caymankind spirit of the people who live here rose above and beyond as they always do,” said a co-organiser.

See more photos of the fundraiser for Cuba (click to enlarge)