AT 82, Doris Brissett can barely move around. She has to rely on a cane to move about. She has no living relatives to assist her as her two sons and parents are deceased.

A shut-in, Brissett has to depend on friends to do her grocery shopping, her laundry and prepare her meals on a single coal pot. Her neighbours, Ruon and Millicent McIntosh, also help her with odd jobs and provide her with water.

However, Beaches Negril recently adopted the elderly woman as a part of the resort’s numerous community projects and its employees now visit Brissett’s home once a week.

“Tourism is not just about guests coming to our shores, we also have to get involved in the communities,” general manager Patrick Drake explained during a recent visit to Brissett’s home.

During that visit, hotel employees brought gifts of chicken, rice, milk, oats, sugar, soap, toilet paper, sheets, blankets, towels, mats and chairs. They also promised to return to paint Brissett’s one-room dwelling and fix leaks, broken windows and pave the walkway to the external bathroom and toilet facilities.

Brissett is originally from the Cornwall Mountain community, but now lives at Whitehall in Negril. She has faced several challenges over the years, including the destruction of her home by Hurricane Gilbert. The existing structure was rebuilt after that disaster.

Although grateful for the help, Brissett said she is contented to stay by herself.

“I would like to stay by myself more so I can consult with God more,” she stated.