Container of relief supplies from P.E.I. welcomed in Grand Bahama

The moment last week when he opened up a shipping container of donated goods sent from his new home in P.E.I. to his old home in the Bahamas "felt like magic," says Luke Ignace.

The container was put together to help Bahamians struggling in the wake of both Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donations were organized by a groupIgnacefounded last fall called Island to Island, which aims to create connections between the Maritimes and the Bahamas, where he was born and raised.

"We're all Maritimers; we're all islanders in some capacity. And we can share and connect at a deeper level if we just look at our similarities, not our differences," Ignace told Laura Chapin on CBC'sIsland Morning.

Ignace moved to P.E.I. seven years ago to study at Holland College and has lived here ever since.

He first had the idea to collect donations after his home country was hit hard by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

"It felt so surreal. I stepped out of my house right here on P.E.I. and the same storm was impacting this Island ... I saw the suffering in both places, although it was different in terms of like, you know, the intensity of it," he said.

The government is trying to assist but now here comes COVID, right? COVID basically put a hold on the rebuilding process.Osni Ignace

The container left P.E.I. at the end of January and is filled with medical and hygiene suppliessuch as menstrual products, soap, wheelchairs, and hospital bedding, as well as children's toys.

Ignace travelled back home to Freeport on Grand Bahama in late February to be there when the shipping container arrived from P.E.I.

"I was grateful to come back home and see my family, my friends. But in terms of the damage and in terms of ... the temperament of society, it's different," he said.

"There's a lingering spirit, sort of like a stagnation."

Ignace's brother, Osni Ignace, echoes that sentiment. He lives in Freeport and told Chapin about the impact both Dorian and COVID-19 have had on the region.

"I can see the depression on [people's] faces, just frustrated because there's so much, you know, coming from Dorian and then COVID," he said.

Osni Ignace noted that in some communities, such as McLean's Town and High Rock, people still don't have permanent homes following the storm.

"The government is trying to assist, you know, and stuff like that. But now here comes COVID, right? COVID basically put a hold on the rebuilding process," said Osni.

My biggest fear and what I don't want to happen is people forget that the Bahamas is still in need of help. Luke Ignace

The pandemic has also taken a heavy toll on the main industry in the Bahamas: tourism.

"It halted the whole thing. We had, like, resorts basically that shut down, that laid employees off because there were no tourists coming in," said Osni Ignace.

LukeIgnace said many schools, gas stations and food stores have been destroyed.

"Now people got to drive, like, miles and miles just to get to one or two of the grocery stores on the other side of the island. So it's tough."

Delivering personal messages

In the coming days and weeks, the brothers will be helping to distribute the goods in the container to Bahamians in need.

"We're still setting up a distribution strategy. So we want to do this very, very professionally to make sure people get it that really, really need it," said Luke Ignace.

Along with the goods, there are some letters with personal messages from P.E.I. churches.

"I'm going to deliver that to a few churchesjust, you know, bring encouragement and to connect the people at a very personal level," Luke Ignace said.

They also plan to deliver some of the goods to the nearby island of Abaco, which was heavily damaged during Dorian.

Futureplans to send relief

LukeIgnace said there has been a great reaction from people in the Bahamas to the container of goods.

"I want to thank you so much for everybody that helped out in filling the container, that gave their time, that supported [this], whether it was, you know, spiritually with prayers, financially with a few dollars or even physically by coming out and helping with the trailer," he said.

Luke Ignace plans to continue his work with Island to Island, which right now is raising funds on its website to become registered as a social enterprise with a charitable arm.

He wants to continue to send relief to the Bahamas, as well as make connections between Islanders and people in the Caribbean.

"My biggest fear and what I don't want to happen is people forget that the Bahamas is still in need of help," he said.

"People still need support. And if we come together and we put our heads together, we can make a real difference."

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