LUCEA, Hanover — There has been an outpouring of support for 78-year-old Elaine Smith and her three orphaned grandchildren whose lives were upended by Hurricane Melissa last October. They still need help but there has already been a world of difference made by readers who saw their story in the Sunday Observer.

Among those who have provided a much-needed lifeline are Hanover Charities and Grindstone Ministries which joined forces to maximise the help provided as the family struggles to recover from a “horrible situation” that has left them in dire need of housing and educational support.

Kamar Davis, a Hanover Charities volunteer working closely with the family since December, said immediate financial assistance was provided. However, the primary focus is now on securing stable housing.

“We are presently doing the repair version of it,” explained Davis, noting that plans are in motion for a new building.

“We are human and once someone is crying for help, we try our very best to reach them and render assistance however best we can,” he added.

Katherine Casserly, chairperson of Hanover Charities, noted that the donation of a new house depends on verification of land ownership, a process currently being expedited.

“If it’s confirmed that the land is theirs… they will then be granted a new building from Grindstone Ministries,” she assured.

If the family cannot confirm that the land is theirs, the house will be renovated “to make sure that it’s liveable”, according to Davis.

Hanover Charities is also moving swiftly to ensure the children — ages 14, 17 and 19 — have access to continued education. Application forms for the renowned Hanover Charities Scholarship programme, which supported 350 students last year, were hand-delivered to the family this past Saturday.

Casserly said the charity has committed to assisting all three children once the forms are completed and returned.

She stressed that the family “has not yet received all the help they need”, and said the organisations remain dedicated to the process.

“We do the best we can under the circumstances. Many of us, our homes were also totally destroyed. So, we are in a similar boat but we are a lot more fortunate, obviously,” stated Casserly.

Hurricane Melissa left the elderly Smith with a heavy burden. It stole the life of her only son, who suffered from a severe asthma attack, leaving her to pick through the wreckage of his shattered house and become mother to his three grieving sons who lost their own mom four years ago.

Last week Smith told the Sunday Observer that Member of Parliament for Hanover Western Heatha Miller-Bennett had promised assistance through her ‘Help Me Fix My Roof’ initiative but it had yet to materialise. Miller-Bennett later told the Observer that Smith “got some of the items and the hardware said they will call her when the rest is there”.

On Tuesday, a grateful Smith confirmed that she has received those items. She was also thankful for the outpouring of support she has been receiving since the publication of the Sunday Observer article. She said people from overseas have also shown an interest in providing support.

“I thank God for that. I am grateful for what I am hearing,” stated Smith, who revealed, too, that a minister of religion has promised to assist her 14-year-old grandson, Jamar Matthew Malcolm, with a computer for his schooling.

“I feel great that they are reaching out to us and showing us love,” stated the student of Rusea’s High School in Hanover, who wants to become an accountant.

His second-oldest brother Julus Mark Malcolm, who attends Green Island High School in the parish, wants to become a firefighter while eldest brother Howard Junior David Malcolm, who is attending Cornwall College in St James, is working towards becoming a doctor.

On Tuesday, president of the Cornwall College Class of ’79 Alumni Leroy Grey revealed that members have committed to assisting the 19-year-old Cornwall College student in overcoming challenges that impact his schooling.

Grey explained that while an assessment will be done to determine the best way to help, assistance typically takes the form of books or uniforms.