Donohue ‘Nello’ Nelson may have migrated from the community of Moores, where he was born and raised, but he has not forgotten how special the residents and being a part of it are to him. Making a life in the United States, he always dreamed of giving back in some way to the community, and it all became a reality a few years ago.
On December 22, over 100 residents had a treat that was beyond their expectations. This entailed the distribution of care packages with food items such as bread, flour, sugar, rice, and chicken.
The smiles, the love, and the gratitude more than made up for the sacrifices Nelson made to ensure the endeavour was a reality.
Prior to the package giveaways, Nelson whipped up a feast of curried goat, fried chicken, and mannish water, and fed all he could, before handing them their packages.
“I decided to do things differently this year; normally I would just hand out the packages, but this time I decided to do a little treat. The children also received goodies as well as partaking of the meals,” he said.
Nelson, who has been hosting the event for a few years now, says it has been a lot of challenges, as some of those who used to sponsor could not as COVID-19 took its toll on their resources and business. Trying to keep their business or meeting their obligations proved to be too much of a challenge to even think of assisting.
“Honestly, this has been so near and dear to my heart that I could not allow challenges such as those to stop me from hosting this treat. I know the people in the community were looking forward to it, as many of them are faced with challenges themselves,” Nelson shared with Freedom Come Rain.
Tired of appealing to the same set of persons who sometimes don’t even have much to give, Nelson hosted an event in New York, where he lives, with all the proceeds going towards the treat for residents in Moores.
Sharing on the motivation to carry on, Nelson said it is just the sheer joy he gets when he sees the impact it has on those who need the assistance.
Continuing, he said God has blessed him and his family, and he believes in passing on the blessing in impacting others lives.
His wife Julea, who also hails from an adjoining community, couldn’t be more supportive of his outreach and also goes out of her way to assist.
“My wife is there for me 100% at the event. she works hard, she organizes while I focus on the meal preparation. I could not have asked for a better team member,” he shared with a grin.
Julea, in giving her comment on the event, said she is a ‘behind the scenes’ supporter and is actually very proud of what her husband is doing.
“I give him all the support. Whatever he is doing, I support him and love it. For me it is very satisfying to know that he is so blessed that he can give back. I don’t have to be upfront, I stay in the background and give him all the support that he needs,” she said.
Sharing on the responses given by the recipients, Nelson said they were thrilled to receive the items and expressed how much of a godsend it was.
The event was held in honour of Nelson’s great-grandmother, Alice Harriot, who raised him in the community. She died in 1990.
Reflecting, Nelson said had it not been for her, he might very well have ended up in jail, as he was sometimes unruly.
“She was so loved in the district that when I was young and foolish, I got away as they didn’t’ have the heart to do anything to hurt her,” he shared, laughing.
Still, he did not escape her chiding, and he really didn’t like letting her down, so he eventually ‘walked the straight and narrow.”.
Acknowledging that his great-grandmother was also a giver, he said she would have enjoyed seeing what was done in her name.