Tzu Chi donates relief items to Over the Bank residents
PHILIPSBURG –The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation continued to plant seeds of love when it donated a number of relief items to 100 Over the Bank residents recently as part of its “three goods” principle. The three goods principle encourages persons to “think, speak and do good.”
For the relief aid, Tzu Chi donated 750 pounds of rice, 100 sandals, 100 polo shirts, 120 one liter bottles of water, 120 12oz bottles of water, children’s lunch kits and clothes for around 100 persons. A total of 18 Tzu Chi volunteers participated in the exercise.
Tzu Chi decided to do the donation drive in response to the touching story of one of its volunteers, whose brother, who lives in the area lost everything during the passing of Hurricane Irma in September, including his home. The resident used pieces of wood to construct a temporary shelter for his family and tries to survive working several days in the week, while his wife works one hour per day.
Since many residents in the area had similar stories of losing their possessions and being out of work, Tzu Chi decided to do the relief exercise in that area to help alleviate their burden in a small way.
Residents were grateful for the assistance received. “It is a wonderful thing that Tzu Chi is doing. I hope that everyone does something like they are doing now because they are helping the people and the people need help,” one recipient said. “We need to help each other so we can get help. It’s not that I want the aid, but I need to give people who need the aid. That’s what we need to do – help each other.”
“Thanks for everything you delivered for us. We really appreciate it,” another recipient said.
One volunteer who participated in the exercise said she loves to help others and she is thankful to Tzu Chi for giving her an opportunity to assist. “Together we can help St. Maarten one step at a time. Together St. Maarten will become stronger and better than ever,” another volunteer said.
Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung thanked all the volunteers who assisted in the exercise and all the residents who came to receive relief assistance.
