7 News Belize

Monica’s Clean Up Effort
posted (November 1, 2010)
And while those entities donate money and items, others donate time, their initiative and just plain old hard work.

That's what we found Monica Bodden doing on Saturday in the Reggae Street area of Yabra.

Here's the story:..

Monica Bodden
"We actually put together a cleanup campaign for the residents of the Yabra community. the idea all came about after visiting the area doing stories and seeing the conditions that these people are left with after the hurricane. So what happen I throw the idea out there on Facebook and I got a lot of response from people wanting to come out and help."

And Monica's initiative blossomed into a full out community effort, with participation of students and the Belizeans for justice.

The crew attacked the mess on Reggae Street with resolve even though the mountains of garbage and the tangle of debris was intimidating:

Kairee Brown
"I had some second thoughts but I decided that it's a very good thing to help assist our fellow Belizeans because you may never know when something like this will happen in your area and you will need assistance."

Monica Bodden
"For me I've been here since Monday but the team; it was very overwhelming, they were like where do we start? but I think we cannot do everything in one day but somehow you got to start somewhere."

And that somewhere was this seafront yard on Reggae Street where the garbage collected, it seems, by the pound. It was back-breaking, hands-on manual labour - but the shared sentiment was that it has to be done and someone has to do it:

Jessica Beeks
"I came to help support the people in the Yabra community because right now they need serious help. We are helping with the clean up back here."

Kairee Brown
"I believe that I am obligated in assisting my fellow Belizeans as any way possible."

Joan Sutherland, Belizeans for Justice
"So painful for especially me that know what is poor. So I would do anything along with Belizeans for Justice to help the people in Yabra."

Yolanda Schakron, Belizeans for Justice
"Well I think we need to help these people, we need to start get back their lives to some kind of normalcy."

And by day's end - after the effort was bolstered with trucks, manpower and more wheelbarrows - a significant difference was made and the area was much cleaner than when Monica's team first found it.

Yolanda Schakron, Belizeans for Justice
"The people have dignity and pride, because you are poor doesn't mean that you are neglected, so I am just asking other people to come out because we will do this until we get the area clean."

And on Sunday, Monica joined the Belizeans For Justice as they distributed a truckload of supplies in the Gracie Rock community…

And I'd also like to thank those who have donated so generously to my charity, the Toys for Tots foundation. We have been serving warm meals out of the community center in the Yabra area since Wednesday and it continues for the rest of this week.

An average of Over 1,400 plates are served daily - and yesterday for Sunday dinner we had over a thousand warm meals served at just one sitting.

The effort of the volunteers and the community policing unit has been tremendous and un-ceasing and it would not have been possible without the material support from:

  • Sunny and Tan Bakery
  • K Park Grocery
  • The Bar Association
  • Cambranes
  • Andre and Ana's Lunch Box
  • The Castillo Group
  • Horizon School
  • Grace Kennedy
  • The Public Utilities Commission
  • The Belize Tourism Board
  • Heritage Bank
  • The Indian Community
  • The women's Group of Belmopan
  • First Stop Pawn Shop
  • Pastor Longworth Ministries
  • Cave Tubing.com and Yohnnie Rosado
  • Matthew Smiling
  • Gilbert Franklin
  • Young's Law Firm
  • Tanya Sanchez

All those anonymous persons who walked in with food donations and last but certainly in a Big Way hummingbird Elementary School.

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