A destination wedding in Jamaica for a West Hartford couple turned into a relief mission after Hurricane Melissa hit the island last month.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare-Grant and Billy Grant returned to Connecticut on Friday after spending a week on the island volunteering with hurricane relief efforts.
“I’d never seen anything like that, so many people lost so much,” said Grant.
The two were supposed to get married in Jamaica, Shakespeare-Grant’s homeland. The couple married privately in Connecticut and then packed ten suitcases with donations to bring to Jamaica so they can spend their first week of marriage helping families who lost their homes in the storm.
“My heart broke when I really realized the depth of the devastation,” said Shakespeare-Grant. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. It’s going to take months for us to get back on our feet.”
Shakespeare-Grant worked with Operation Blessing, organizing essentials and distributing food and water to communities.
Grant made meals for hundreds of people with World Central Kitchen. He worked alongside Jamie Macdonald, the owner of Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue.
“On the third day, I was on the grill outside, I was grilling chicken for like nine hours straight,” said Grant. “I went to the bathroom once. No food break, no nothing. We had so many meals to get out.”
The couple returned to Connecticut with heavy hearts, remembering all the families who still need help.
“When you give a care package to a family, they’re literally getting one toilet paper, a few diapers, one toothpaste, one toothbrush,” said Shakespeare-Grant. “That’s not going to last forever.”
The couple ran a donation drive at Restaurant Bricco, which is owned by Grant. They are still collecting donations for when Shakespeare-Grant plans to go back to Jamaica.
For a list of items to donate, click here.
