Two fundraising efforts are underway to assist the seasonal Jamaican workers at The Homestead, whose lives have been upended due to the destruction from Hurricane Melissa. An ongoing crowdfunding effort led by seasonal residents John and Belynda Hudspeth has raised over $40,000, with a goal of at least $50,000. The Homestead and the Kuras family have donated $10,000 to a charity for the island.
As the hurricane slammed into the island, the Hudspeths, longtime seasonal residents at The Homestead, decided they wanted to do what they could to help those they have gotten to know over the many years they have spent at the Glen Arbor resort. “The minute I saw the hurricane was coming and saw it was going to be a direct hit … I thought someone has to step up,” John says.
So the Hudspeths started a GoFundMe effort, which to date has raised over $42,000 and is continuing. Those interested in making a donation can do so at tinyurl. com/ Help- Jamaicanworkers.
“I have such admiration for how they leave their family to come here and work for six months,” John adds. “They fill essential jobs that help this community thrive, working tirelessly to send money back home and build a better life for their loved ones. It’s a life that’s hard for many of us to understand.”
As one example, he notes one longtime worker he and Belynda have come to know. “Marsha has three-year-old twins. I think this is her 19 th year.”
The Category 5 hurricane ripped apart homes, businesses and killed at least 75 people. Many of the resort’s workers live on the west side of the island, which took the brunt of the hurricane’s wrath. Most of the Jamaican workers at The Homestead were scheduled to return to their homes the end of last month, but their flights were repeatedly canceled. For days, many were unable to reach loved ones on the island.
In addition to the crowdfunding effort, The Homestead and the Kuras family are donating $10,000 to Food For The Poor, directed specifically at assisting the Jamaicans. Jamie Kuras says a friend of his who lives on and owns a business on the island told him that was the most trustworthy organization to which to donate money. “Many of our workers have been coming here to work for years, and we want to do everything we can to help them,” says Jamie.
Bob Kuras, Jamie’s father and President of The Homestead, echoes that statement. “Whenever I would see one of the workers, I always ask, ‘How are you? What’s the situation at home?’ They say, ‘I just want to continue working so they can keep my mind off it.’
“So we are doing what we can here. Chef Greg Miesch has been preparing meals for them, and this contribution is something we can do now to help in what will be a long-term effort to rebuild.”
For six months each year, many Jamaicans leave their homes and families to come to the U.S. to work. At The Homestead, they work in housekeeping, food and beverage, groundskeeping and other essential positions. Both Bob Kuras and John Hudspeth say their cheerful dispositions are matched only by their work ethic. Most of their earnings are directed back to Jamaica to support their families. Now they face the monumental task of rebuilding their homes and lives on the island.
