Red Cross in need of help By Roy Sanford, Freelance Writer WESTERN BUREAU: THE ST. James branch of the Jamaica Red Cross is in dire need of funds, and is afraid that it will be helpless in the face of a major natural disaster, as it is almost unable to carry out it assistance programmes. Branch director Edna Facey disclosed this in an interview with The Gleaner. "We are sitting on pins and needles right now because we are in the middle of the hurricane season and we don't have much to offer." Ms. Facey said that the lack of funds is seriously hampering the operations of the Red Cross. "Right now we are involved in a number of programmes, not in the best way, but we are trying. We visit the infirmaries to give them clothes, we visit children's home, and we work with youth groups in a number of schools. We want to raise some funds for a home for mentally ill children in Hanover. We also offer first aid to major events, so we are very much involved in the community but as of now, we cannot do it as we would like to. We are just short of cash," she said. Ms. Facey added that the Red Cross is always the first organisation to be on site at a natural disaster. "Within 24 hours but right now I believe we are not capable of that," she stressed. To make matters worse, there are no storage facilities at the Red Cross building. She said a few years ago, a new addition was made to the building to serve as a storage area. However, it has been ravaged by a number of burglaries. "Once burglars ripped off the roof completely and since then it has not been repaired. Now as soon as it drizzles we have a flood in here, that has to be addressed, and the building itself needs refurbishing," Ms. Facey lamented. She added that some years ago a forty-foot trailer was set ablaze by burglars when they could not enter it. "Imagine the entire trailer of things went up in flames. The public just doesn't understand the importance of the Red Cross," she noted. Ms. Facey is sending out an appeal for help from the business community. "I hope corporate St. James hear us and give us donations. Right now most of our money comes from training in first aid we give to different hotels and we also do some fund raising." For example in October we are having a bingo and this month we are having a luncheon. Hopefully we raise some funds from that. But to speak the truth things are really hard right now." she said.
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