The Tribune

THE Moore Bahamas Foundation has announced new grants for Hurricane Dorian relief and recovery, bringing contributions thus far to more than $700,000 as part of a million-dollar pledge by conservation philanthropist, Louis Bacon.

Previous Moore Bahamas Hurricane Dorian recovery grants focused primarily on emergency aid and relief, as well as rebuilding resilience. Influenced by the compounding tragedy of COVID-19, this latest round of donations focuses on essential needs such as jobs and small business relief in Grand Bahama, food security in Nassau and Grand Bahama, and remote, at-home education tools for students.

“The people of The Bahamas show amazing resilience as they continue to recover and rebuild from 2019’s Hurricane Dorian,” said Mr Bacon, chairman of The Moore Charitable Foundation and Moore Bahamas, its local affiliate. “We are uniting as a global community to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The added stresses of COVID-19 on businesses, livelihoods, families and students have reinforced our commitment to supporting The Bahamas’ recovery efforts during this trying time.”

Hurricane Dorian’s aftermath has been compounded by the impact of COVID-19. Hunger and food security are the main threats to full recovery from the storm for both families and the broader economy.

A grant was made to the Grand Bahama Food Distribution Task force, a working group of the National Food Distribution Task Force organised by the government of The Bahamas along with private sector partners.

“The Grand Bahama Food Distribution Task Force is pleased to receive this generous donation from Moore Bahamas Foundation on behalf of the Feed Grand Bahama programme. Post Hurricane Dorian many families have been challenged and with the coronavirus pandemic and it has increased the vulnerable among us.

“It is the mandate of the Grand Bahama Food Task Force to assist the vulnerable and Moore Bahamas’ donation will help the task force in fulfilling this commitment,” said Senator Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama.

He continued, “The Feed Grand Bahama programme started in late June and has issued over 26,000 food assistance vouchers. This donation will aid in meeting the increasing demand for food assistance. We encourage others to contribute to this ongoing effort. No donation is too small.”

Support was also provided for small business relief through RISE GrandBahama, a cooperative project of Mercy Corps, the American Red Cross, Bacardi, and the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

“This support will allow the RISE (Restoring Industries and Sustaining Employment) Grand Bahama Initiative to provide bridge grants to particularly small and vulnerable businesses so they can stay afloat despite these extremely difficult operating circumstances,” said Paula Miller, Mercy Corps’ country director in The Bahamas. “Moore Bahamas’ generosity will allow these businesses to continue to support their community with essential services and feed their own families.”

Relief grants were also made to Lend a Hand Bahamas, the Ranfurly Homes for Children, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Bahamas, Water Mission, the Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation (BREEF), and the Briland Aid Foundation.