Miss World Bahamas Ashley B. Hamilton and Island Game CEO Pete Deveaux visit with an elderly resident who was unable to obtain her items.

The Island Game Foundation recently brought much needed relief to the residents of Central Andros recently when CEO of The Island Game, Pete Deveaux, and Miss World Bahamas, Ashley B. Hamilton, as the brand ambassador of The Island Game Foundation, brought food and cleaning supplies to those affected by Hurricane Matthew.

TIG Foundation is the charity created by The Island Game to help assist communities throughout The Bahamas. The Foundation is built on the core principles of ‘Transforming, Improving and Growing a Better Bahamas’.

The Foundation believes that growing a country is everyone’s social responsibility and if one can transform the faces, spaces and places in a community the whole country can grow. TIG plans to provide a ‘hand up’, not a ‘hand out’, to the less fortunate in our community through monetary grants to existing charities, educational initiatives and community improvement projects.

“Although Andros is geographically our biggest island, it has very little economic activity, explained Deveaux, so we just had to come down and do a little something for the people here, even if it was just to put a smile on some of their faces. We brought in care packages that included grits, water, bleach, other cleaning supplies, crackers, tuna, sardines…just to name some of the items. These are indeed hard times here and it’s going to take some time to return to normalcy here.”

Island Game CEO, Pete Deveaux, was clear on why he chose to assist Andros out of the three islands most affected by Hurricane Matthew.

“I am a Bahamian first and foremost. Andros is dear to my heart because my father is from Andros. I am a son of the soil, so to help the people of Andros… that comes natural. The Island Game Foundation is about building communities and assisting where necessary. Assisting Andros is a given.”

Over $15,000 worth of goods were provided at cost by Island Wholesale and Grace Products, Bahamas Wholesale Agencies, Thompson Trading, Aquapure, and the TIG Foundation to bring relief to the persons of Central Andros.

Miss World Bahamas, Ashley Hamilton, who was instrumental in organizing the relief effort, travelled and conducted an initial assessment of the area and learned firsthand what the residents were urgently in need of.

“We sat in the Island Games Foundation office and said, “What can we do to help the residents of Andros who were heavily affected by Hurricane Matthew?””, said Hamilton. “So we formulated a plan to put together care packages- one containing cleaning supplies and one containing nonperishable food goods. It was two weeks of hard work organizing, but the joy on the faces of the Androsians today, knowing that someone cares for them, was well worth it.”

A photo some of the many items that were distributed.

Local Androsian radio station, 99.1 FM, owned by Mr. Eddie Meadows, promoted the event so that over 400 households received goods that day. His wife, Loretta Meadows was also key in the logistics and ground organization in Central Andros.

Deveaux and Hamilton even visited some of the elderly residents and personally delivered the care packages while listening to their concerns after experiencing devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

“An effort of this magnitude is awesome,” noted Woman Sergeant Finley of the Cargill Creek Central Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. “We have had devastation just like North Andros, but someone heard our cry. The Island Game Foundation has made the people of Andros’s day. Our stores are empty because of the devastation so food items and water is essential at this time. To have personnel from The Island Game Foundation come down here to Andros is more than a blessing.”

“This is truly relief for us,” said Dianne Seibert, resident of Staniard Creek, as she packed care packages for people living in that area. “This is a great help to us and we are very thankful to the Island Game for assisting us in this way.”

The Island Game Foundation, and Miss World Bahamas as a brand ambassador, will continue to work in collaboration on various charitable projects.

By Tanya Cartwright