Meadow Elementary School Featured in the Baldwin Herald

Excerpt from article:

Christina Espeut, a PTA mom at Meadow Elementary School, and her family take an annual trip to Jamaica. Due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in October, Espeut had to break the news to her children that their family trip was canceled this year.

“Mommy, how can we help?” Caelyn Espeut, 10, a fifth-grader at Meadow Elementary, asked through tears. She insisted that her mother email Meadow Elementary Principal Yolanda Martin, as well as the school’s Parent Teacher Association, to set up a relief initiative for the people affected by the hurricane. Everyone was on board, and they got started.

One potential problem residents faced as they began planning was out-of-pocket costs and international shipping fees. But Espeut had a plan. Her aunt owns ACM Shipping International, a company that ships overseas, so she reached out to her and asked if she was willing to help.

“Without a doubt,” Espeut recalled her aunt saying. “Whatever you all need to help with this relief, we’re happy to step in.”

Once people saw the flier Espeut made, the donations came pouring in. “People were texting me that lived in Baldwin, parents, even people in different boroughs, just like, ‘Hey, can I send you Amazon stuff? I heard about this initiative,’” she said. “It was a complete success.”

Donations were collected not only at the school and at Espeut’s home in Baldwin, but also at Gala Fresh Supermarket on Nov. 22.

Read the full article online in the Baldwin Herald>>