The second successful Bahamas humanitarian aid mission set sail to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island on Sunday, September 15thand returned back to Port of Palm Beach on September 18th. Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line teamed up with South Florida non-profits the Bahamas Relief Cruise and Mission Resolve Foundation to mobilize the ship for this second mission.
Grand Celebration was loaded with 400 pallets of humanitarian aid – including 30,000 pounds of water, 275,000 pounds of canned and dry food, 150,000 pounds of household supplies, and 50,000 pounds of construction materials – as well as hundreds of qualified volunteers and 150 Bahamians who returned home to help jumpstart the process of rebuilding Grand Bahama Island.
First responders who sailed were joined by numerous business and philanthropic organizations from across South Florida. This included Bahamas Relief Cruise (comprised of members of The Everglades Trust team, along with a collection of West Palm Beach businesses and organizations including Subculture Group, Titou Hospitality Group and the Downtown West Palm Beach Hospitality Association) and Mission Resolve (who was joined by its partners in the South Florida business community, including Entrepreneurs’ Organization and others).
Also onboard were representatives from various disaster relief response groups, including Hope Force International, Compassion Services International and Crisis Response International, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, West Palm Beach Fire Rescue Department and Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
Upon arrival in Freeport, the ship’s crew and volunteers prepared more than 10,000 boxed lunches, which were delivered directly to local shelters, homes and neighborhoods by volunteers.
Thirty cases of water were delivered to Pastor Robert White on the north side of the island, a direct request from Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line CEO Oneil Khosa, who learned of the neighborhood’s plight through a family that evacuated during the first humanitarian sailing.
Ten pallets of water and ten generators were delivered to RAND Memorial Hospital.
Just over 200 Bahamians traveled back to Palm Beach on Grand Celebrationwith the necessary documentation required to enter the U.S., and the majority were met by friends and family.
We are thankful for the thousands of donations from the community who sacrificed their resources to help others, showcasing the true American spirit of love and friendship as we work together to help our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas recover from Hurricane Dorian.
