by Howard Campbell
[MIAMI] – Singer Kevin Lyttle has hailed the support of South Florida’s Caribbean community for his native St. Vincent and The Grenadines which has been engulfed by La Soufriere volcano since April 9. Ash from the cauldron has forced over 20,000 people to flee the island’s northern region for shelters in safer areas.
Lyttle’s Janice Lyttle Foundation, has worked with Miami-based Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and Caribbean Strong Foundation, to send relief packages to persons affected by the disaster.
“It’s been very, very, good. The Consul General of Antigua and Barbuda (Gilbert Boustany) is here at the warehouse, (Jamaican attorney) Marlon Hill is here with the Caribbean Strong Foundation, my team is here as well. And then there are donations coming from the Diaspora; the support has been real strong,” Lyttle disclosed.
Funding for Care Packages
To date, they have sent over 150 care packages to St. Vincent that can feed families of five. The packages are distributed to the most affected regions which have designated color zones (red, orange, green, yellow, etc).
Funding for shipping has come from a GofFundMe campaign as well as personal accounts of concerned persons including Lyttle, who was born and raised in Kingstown, capital of St. Vincent and The Grenadines.
He said his family there have not been affected by the eruptive La Soufriere which has forced hundreds of tourists to be evacuated. Winds have deposited ash from the volcano to St. Lucia, Grenada and Barbados.
Vincentian Entertainers Giving Back
The 44 year-old Lyttle, a longtime South Florida resident, is best known for the 2003 hit song Turn me On. He said he last visited St. Vincent in 2019.
Along with other Vincentian entertainers Skinny Fabulous and Luther McIntosh, he has been involved in relief efforts in his homeland since the volcano erupted.
“It’s extremely important for me to give back because you can’t always get. If you’re not giving the universe won’t give to you,” he said.
