On April 9, 2021, La Soufrière Volcano in Saint Vincent began erupting. The eruption caused ash to fall across the island, damaging buildings and crops, contaminating water sources, and causing over 30,000 people to have to leave their homes. GlobalMedic responded to this crisis right away by sending Emergency Food Kits for distribution to local affected populations. Following the increasing need for food provisions, in January 2021, we launched a food packing program in SVG in partnership with the help of the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.  

Local community members have been hired to pack Emergency Food Kits including various food ingredients that are well known to Vincentians. These kits contain a pantry of multiple culturally appropriate staple ingredients to be assembled at the discretion of the beneficiary. Additionally, we have been working with local farmers to incorporate locally sourced produce into the food kits. This not only bolsters the local economy, it creates opportunities for local farmers, and provides beneficiaries with a wider variety of healthy and nutritious food options.  

Once the kits are packed, GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team then delivers these kits to these communities in need, in coordination with local contacts such as The Ministry of Agriculture. To date, this program has purchased food from 150 farmers in Saint Vincent, and provided 9,498 Emergency Food Kits in 158 different distributions to communities that were particularly hard hit by the eruption.  

Your donation of Aeroplan points goes towards getting that aid where it needs to be. Thanks to your support and donated points, it allowed us to fly 20 of our Rapid Response Team members to SVG, making their work on the ground possible. All of the money that we save on these costs are carefully put towards our essential programming. This includes specialized materials such as water purification equipment, emergency food, critical infrastructure, and hygiene items. Without these materials, GlobalMedic could not have the life-saving impact that it does. Thanks to your ongoing support, GlobalMedic is able to continue doing what it does best, serving our global community. 

Please visit www.globalmedic.ca for more details on our programs, and to learn how to get involved with our response teams.