St Elizabeth means the world to Gurvan Whitely. It is where he was born and raised in the Christian faith his family have upheld for decades.

Whitely was overwhelmed by the destruction Hurricane Melissa caused to his home parish. In early November, he and a team from DLW Foundation visited affected areas to assist in the recovery effort.

“For it not being the prayers of my mother and the (church) elders, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Those people saw something that I never even saw in myself,” Whitely told Observer Online. “They believed in me and I was taught that, ‘you have to serve so that one day you will be served’.”

Whitely, who is from the district of Bellevue, co-founded DLW Foundation in 2013 in Queens, New York, in memory of his mother, Bishop Doris Louise Whitely, who died that year.

DLW Foundation visited affected areas in St Elizabeth in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

It has offices in Queens and St Elizabeth. Since its inception, the organisation has done charity work throughout the parish.

The Hurricane Melissa relief effort has been by far their most challenging undertaking. The Category 5 storm wrecked most of St Elizabeth, including the main commercial towns of Black River and Santa Cruz.

His sisters, Bernardine and Schroeter Whitely, who live in the United States and Cayman Islands, respectively; cousin Stead Whitely in Queens and team member Petrine Bryan in Kingston, ensured the smooth distribution of supplies in Bellevue and the town of Lacovia.

“Everything we gave out is survival food which could not be spoiled easily. There is enough to feed a family of four for seven days, plus toiletries,” Whitely disclosed.

The Whitely family did not escape Melissa’s wrath. His mother and brother’s homes were damaged, so too the Mount Zion Church Of Christ The Redeemed where his mother was pastor for many years.

“It’s minor compared to a hardworking man who lost his home and have his children and wife looking at him, asking what’s next. It’s heartbreaking and I couldn’t look away,” said Whitely.

St Elizabeth and neighbouring Westmoreland were hardest hit by Melissa which made landfall in Jamaica on October 28. It destroyed infrastructure, homes, hospitals and resulted in the deaths of 45 people.