By Johania Charles - Florida Catholic
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
A volunteer carries walnuts to a car during the food distribution hosted by Notre Dame d'Haiti Church in Miami April 23, 2020. The food, donated by Farm Share, helped residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
By Johania Charles and Michidael Ceard
MIAMI | Regine Raton was among those who benefited from Mayor Francis Suarez’s grocery drive and food distribution April 23, 2020, done in collaboration with Farm Share Miami and Notre Dame d’Haiti Mission.
“I’m a member of the Notre Dame church and I came to get the help we (my family) needed during this time,” said Raton in her native Creole.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
A volunteer tosses oranges into a car trunk during the food distribution hosted by Notre Dame d'Haiti Church in Miami April 23, 2020. The food, donated by Farm Share, helped residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Cars lined up starting at North Miami Avenue and 46th Street to reach food being distributed at Notre Dame d'Haiti Church grounds, at 62nd Street just each of North Miami Avenue, April 23, 2020. The food, donated by Farm Share, helped residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As an immigrant, she said, she was thankful for the help provided at the event. She had lost her job due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I haven’t worked,” said Raton. “I have a teenage son in college too.”
Many like her flocked and weathered the long line into Notre Dame’s parking lot, waiting in their cars to pick up much-needed necessities as COVID-19 continues to impact millions across the country.
For Miami’s Haitian community, the event brought much-needed relief. The Little Haiti area has poverty rates ranging from 27 to 45 percent, according to census data. Due to the financial impact of COVID-19 lockdowns, many are struggling to meet the needs of their families: either because they have lost their source of income or they don’t want to risk being at a crowded place like the grocery store.
Community members who attended the grocery drive received bags of cooked chicken, walnuts, fresh fruits such as oranges and apples, fresh vegetables such as zucchini and squash, and boxes of pasta and canned products.
Many people present were parents just like Raton.
“I tried to go to this other place in Opa-Locka but it was too packed,” she said. “Here at my church, I think it's better.”
Notre Dame d’Haiti’s organizing director, Jean Souffrant, shared similar sentiments.
“This is absolutely important to the families of Notre Dame as the largest Haitian Catholic church in Little Haiti,” he said. “Because of confinement, not many people can get out to get groceries. This is life-saving, especially for those without the finances to buy the groceries.”
Souffrant spent a week planning the Farm Share distribution event, along with other nonprofit organizations like Fathers Uplifting Kids who also sponsored the giveaway. Eddie Covington, the spokesperson for the organization, noted the impact of such an event on the Little Haiti community.
Photographer: JOHANIA CHARLES | FC
Boxes of oranges await distribution at the food giveaway on the grounds of Notre Dame d'Haiti Church April 23, 2020. The food, donated by Farm Share, helped residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Packages of potatoes await distribution during the food giveaway hosted by Notre Dame d'Haiti Church in Miami April 23, 2020. The food, donated by Farm Share, helped residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Last Tuesday, I was at another food distribution site and we gave away enough food for about 800 cars,” said Covington.
He also explained how Farm Share food drives usually require an organization —like the one he is affiliated with — to receive the donations, recruit volunteers, and find a location to host the event.
Many Notre Dame parishioners and Covington’s team of volunteers showed up at the church between seven and eight in the morning. They were surprised to see a long line of cars already waiting, long before the 10 a.m. start time.
Gepsy Mettellus was there as a volunteer affiliated with a popular Haitian non-profit organization called the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center. She explained why it was important for her to be there.
“This event is critical for the community,” said Mettulus. “This is why many organizations marketed for it via social media and shared the information with their base.”
Similarly, Covington praised the event’s organizers and similar efforts by Notre Dame d’Haiti to meet the needs of the community and bring people together during hard times.
“This is wonderful,” he said. “You could see the smile on people’s faces after receiving the groceries. The volunteers are willing and pitched in wherever they’re needed. I’m grateful to them [Notre Dame d’Haiti] for letting us be here in their facility.”
“This is a way to respond to God’s call to make sure that the least of us get what they need,” said Souffrant of Notre Dame d’Haiti. “For those who got it, we pray that God will nourish both their body and soul. We’re praying for more assistance like this during these times.”
Johania Charles and Michidael Ceard are students at Barry University in Miami Shores who write for the student newspaper, The Barry Buccaneer.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Volunteers at Notre Dame d'Haiti Church in Miami distribute food donated by Farm Share to residents of Little Haiti, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The giveaway took place April 23, 2020.
