Mrs Judith M. Charles, 2nd from left, long-time volunteer at FSN, was presented with a cheque for $10,000 by the Drakes Traders team at the hardware store in Fish Bay, Tortola on Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Photo: Provided

FSN, which serves clients in Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada. provides mediation and advocacy support as well as assistance with food staples, emergency temporary shelter and protection from domestic violence and abuse. Photo: FSN/Facebook

FSN, which serves clients in Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada. provides mediation and advocacy support as well as assistance with food staples, emergency temporary shelter and protection from domestic violence and abuse. Photo: VINO/File

Mrs Judith M. Charles, long-time volunteer at the FSN, was presented with a cheque for $10,000 by the Drakes Traders team at the hardware store in Fish Bay, Tortola on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.

‘Breathtaking donation!’

Mrs Charles, who has been a stalwart member of the FSN charitable organisation for more than two decades, was taken aback by the donated funds.

"This donation is above and beyond what I was expecting to receive today and your generous gift has taken my breath away," said Mrs Charles addressing Mr Christian Esser, Managing Director of Drakes Traders. "We have continuous pressing demands on our services that all cost money. These funds will enable us to secure the resources required to support our clients in the short term as well as to move forward with plans that are designed to help individuals get back up on their own two feet."

Mrs Charles explained that the purpose of the FSN has expanded over the years. While the original foundation of the charity was to help victims of domestic abuse, the economic fallout of hurricane Irma and the more recent COVID-19 restrictions continues to affect the ability of families to meet the minimum costs of living and lead a stable life.

FSN ‘under constant pressure’- Charles

"We are still getting requests for help from people who are struggling to recover from months of no income," said Mrs Charles.

"This often creates a dilemma between paying rent or feeding the family and we are under constant pressure to make sure our pantry is stocked with the basics. We also are seeing an increase in people being forced to return to abusive relationships simply because they do not have the independent means to set up on their own.

“We do what we can to provide a short term solution but also recognise the need to offer a medium to long term solution, including one-to-one counselling with professionals who guide individuals to understanding their circumstances and to rebuilding their self-confidence so they can start a sustainable new life away from their abuser."

Drakes Traders ‘respects’ work of FSN

Drakes Traders, which has been serving the community for over three decades, has supported the efforts of the FSN for many years.

"As a family business, we are firm believers in taking care of our fellow human beings and have always respected the work that the FSN does for the people that face domestic crises in our community," said Mr Esser during a conversation with Mrs Charles.

"The recent increase in the cost of living is hitting hard and it seems inevitable that the impact on our society is going to be higher levels of stress, worry and possible deterioration of domestic situations. The ethos of Drakes Traders is to do what we are able to do for the people who have no access to an alternative support system. We recognise the important work that the FSN does in bridging the gap and will continue to champion and support its efforts in bringing relief to those that are in desperate need for it."

FSN, which serves clients in Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada, provides mediation and advocacy support as well as assistance with food staples, emergency temporary shelter and protection from domestic violence and abuse. Beneficiaries and donors can respectively register and collect or drop off items Mondays through Fridays at the FSN’s office on Chalwell Street, Road Town with persons asked to contact the office in advance on (284) 542 2085 to ensure the privacy of its clients.  The emergency telephone number is (284) 499 0999.