The shutdowns that came with Covid-19 were especially challenging for Debajo de las Palmas, an organization founded by Meaghan Guzman of East Hampton that provides nutrition and breastfeeding education, birth support, clothing, shoes, toys, education supplies, diapers, infant and toddler formula, mosquito nets, and much more to women and families in the Dominican Republic.
When the country went on "pause," it was not only difficult to reach so many in dire need in the Caribbean nation, but also to keep raising money at home. The organization's annual fund-raiser was canceled last year, like so many others, and Ms. Guzman had to rely on 2019 fund-raising to carry Debajo de las Palmas through the pandemic.
Even while shipments were halted and stored under lock and key, Ms. Guzman said she "pinched pennies" to sponsor weekly donations through local churches and organizations in the Dominican Republic that were preparing food bags and boxes to help struggling families. This was the kind of aid available to rural villages, she said, compared to the food bank lines that grew in the United States during Covid.
Late last summer, the children's hospital supported by the organization in the Dominican Republic was once again receiving shipments and families in rural villages could finally get their hands on educational supplies, games, and shoes from Debajo de las Palmas.
Ms. Guzman is particularly grateful to businesses like Stella and Ruby in Sag Harbor, which regularly donates clothing and shoes, as well as Fenelon Landscaping, a longtime sponsor.
By December, Debajo was able once again to ship larger items such as cribs, mattresses, and strollers, in addition to daily essentials. Continued donations from the community helped Debajo de las Palmas send its first shipment of 2021 on April 2: a packed, 100-square-foot storage unit that included air mattresses and sewing machines. More about the organization's work, and ways to help, can be found online at debajodelaspalmas.org.
