Harris Paints donates over half million dollars in supplies to Dominican relief effort

The Dominica Relief Fund recently received a gift of two containers loaded with paints and supplies, valued at EC$600,000 from Harris Paints.

The team from Harris Paints, led by Ian Kenyon, CEO of the Harris Paints Group of Companies and Marguerite Desir, head of Harris Paints Dominica, made the presentation to Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, during a ceremony held in the Prime Minister’s Office.

In accepting the gift, Prime Minister Skerrit said the supplies would make a difference in the lives and the homes of many in Dominica.

Desir, expressing her admiration for the immense fortitude of the Dominican people, said, “Harris Paints supports the Government as they move forward to rebuild and restore the homes, schools and facilities that are vital to our communities.”

Kenyon, in highlighting Harris’ long history in Dominica, said “This year we will celebrate our 40-year relationship with the people of Dominica, sharing both the good times and challenging ones with you.” He was referring to the damaging effects of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. Kenyon explained, “Following Hurricane Maria, we immediately launched a regional response team called ‘Hurricane Force’, which was co-ordinated by our Barbados office and involved our business units in St Lucia, Guyana and Jamaica.” He added, “The campaign focused on driving awareness about the devastation caused by Maria, setting up donation points at Harris Paints Colourcentre stores, procurement of supplies and managing collections, warehousing and shipping.”

All told, Harris Paints shipped 160 pallets (eight containers) of relief supplies to Dominica, including water, medical supplies and toiletries. With help from Harris’ international partnerships, the company was able to secure US$200,000 in provisions for rebuilding, as well as further aid of US$30,000 cash support. The company also provided a US$25,000 fund to support the employees and their families and provided all members with job security until they could get back on their feet.

In 2017, Hurricane Maria damaged over 90 per cent of properties, with half the houses (about 15,000) suffering heavy damage or complete destruction.