Popular Post Adam Montana Posted October 9, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 This will be chapter 2 of our Dominica project. As you know, Chapter 1 was a Tropical Storm named Erika basically wiped out the island, setting them back a couple decades. They are a very small island, not important in the world, and although this only happened about a month ago… it’s no longer on the news. They have been forgotten by the MSM and much of the world... … but not by us. As you probably know, I spend a lot of time working with banks and attorneys in central/latin america and the Caribbean, and I actually had a business trip scheduled to Dominica for the week following the storm. After the storm came through, I learned that I would not be able to keep my appointments due to the natural disaster. I decided that I would go there anyway, and offer my help cleaning up. That wasn’t even possible, as the airstrip was so covered in mud that planes could not land. Shoot. I searched and found no dedicated organization to donate to help specifically Dominica. Every organization either had high overhead (i.e. only a portion of your money goes to the actual people) or they were not actually dedicated to Dominica, and again only a portion of donations would help the people there. I wasn’t happy with that, so I called some churches in Dominica and they were all very appreciative, but did not want money… they need food and supplies. Here at our home site DinarVets we devised a plan to help - we found a shipping company, a wholesaler that could fill a container, and we worked out the logistics. Within about a week and a half our relatively small community, without any advertising or outside help, raised over $20,000… $22,410 to be precise! Although Dominica will need help for a long time to come, we all knew how critical it was to act fast. I’ll be the first to admit that we might have squeezed more out of our money if we had more time or experience… but the important thing, in my opinion, is that we ACTED. And if we ever feel the need to do something like this again, you can bet we are more prepared. At one point in the process it seemed like everything would just fall in place... ...the shipping company had experience shipping containers, the Costco we chose had experience loading containers, we had a list of items that fit our budget AND in the container we could afford, so everything was working great! But at the last minute, I started getting phone calls from the above named parties, and I sensed confusion… … so I decided to fly into Miami and make certain things went as planned, or as close as possible. You know what they say... if you want something done right, you do it yourself! When I got into Miami it was about midnight EST. I checked into a hotel and was laying in bed about 1 AM… by then I was overtired and had a hard time falling asleep, which I guess is pretty normal for me. I finally did fall asleep but I was up at 6 AM with my mind racing - I was excited to go do this! There was some time to kill in the morning, so I started the day off with a jog. Good morning, Miami! Not a bad way to start the day… up here in Wisconsin, we’re about out of “nice” mornings, so that was nice! After a LOT of phone calls to get things coordinated, it had been decided that we would do a 10AM load. The Costco assured me that everything was ready and it would take about 15-20 minutes for them to load the entire container by forklifts. I get a call from the Costco at about 9:30, the person who helped organize this all realized she hadn’t taken payment yet, and we’re talking about $15,000 worth of items. “Don’t worry”, I said. “I’m on my way right now and I’ll make payment at the store by credit card.” (It turns out they don’t take anything except Debit and AMEX - BOY am I glad I have that Platinum Card!) But before I could make the payment, something else happened… and it made the whole trip worth my time. My Uber dropped me off at the Costco I had Googled for Miami and I went to the office to fill out my paperwork… turns out I was at the wrong place. Or the truck was at the wrong place. Or both! Either way, panic starts to set in… this container is a $4000+ expense. I have ONE day - THAT day - to make this work. And the shipping company only gave us 2 hours at the loading dock to make it happen! I would say I “frantically” started calling people, but really I don’t do anything frantically. The 3 Cs my grade school teacher taught me always ring in my head - Cool, Calm, Collected. (Write that down. It's simple and it works!) I’ll cut to the chase… I worked it out. 40 minutes later the same Uber dropped me at the correct Costco, and at this time we only had an hour and 20 to get everything loaded. While we were scrambling around running to different Costco's to figure everything out the charges were racking up but I was able to talk the company into minimizing it for us - the confusion only cost $220 extra. Whew! I was prepared to hear a much higher number, which I would have had no choice but to pay - after all this work, this container WILL be on it’s way to Dominica! Here is our Little Yellow Box. (Kind of ironic that it’s sort of faded, but that’s a VIP thing ) Back it on up! Since it took so long for the container to get there, other trucks had to be unloaded and loaded. By the time our container was at the correct location, all of this was in our way: It was a lot more than it looks like… there was NO way to get our items to our truck without moving a LOT of items. I offered to help, but they wouldn’t give me the keys to a forklift. No worries… If I had to lay down in front of our truck to keep him from leaving, I was prepared to do so. This container WILL be loaded! The men (and one very feisty and capable small woman) in the loading area were very competent and they began the reorganizing… things went pretty quick. As I started doing inventory on the pallets I actually had a couple of tears in my eyes. Here's what we were able to buy and fit in our container: 1750 lbs of flour - (70) 25# bags 2250 lbs of long grain rice - (45) 50# bags 2000 lbs of long grain rice - (80) 25# bags (960) 15oz cans of black beans (960) 15 oz cans of kidney beans 640 lbs of brown rice - (64) 10# bags 2250 lbs of jasmine rice - (90) 25# bags 720 Quarts of canola oil 720 Quarts of vegetable oil (800) 15oz Chicken Soups 7200 Super Large MAXI (pads? I don’t know about these things!) 8640 Tampax Pearl regular 41760 Huggies baby wipes 6264 size 2 diapers 8910 size 3 diapers 5400 size 4 diapers Are you overwhelmed yet?? I AM! As the items went on I took pictures. I got in the way a lot, they were little annoyed, but I had a job to do. There was no way I was going to let all of YOUR efforts not get recorded and shared with you! ...........TO BE CONTINUED...... 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Adam Montana Posted October 9, 2015 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 .............. CONTINUED!........ Finally all loaded up but there's a small problem… the door won't quite close. With a couple friendly taps and a few sweet nudges we got one door close… do you notice anything different? (I left a hint!) “Not my problem” The paperwork was signed, the door tags placed, and… off she goes, our donation to Dominica. Safe travels, Little Yellow Box. Well, there it is… phase 2 complete. Next, that box will be loaded onto a ship where it will sail to the port in Dominica. It will then be distributed to a few churches around the island, which are yet to be determined… but the next major update on this drive will be the pictures and story that details our Little Yellow Box landing in Dominica. Due to the storms (Erika and also Joaquin), shipping is backed up significantly. Our anticipated arrival date is early November. I want to thank you all, and say again how proud I am to have been part of this. What an amazing group we have here! 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronberta Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Awesome job Adam !! Thanks so much for seeing this thing through as it mite not of went so good had you not been able to be there , hats off to you Adam !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docneedles Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I am in Miami sending blessings to the little yellow box (whichever one it is; there are lots here) . May it nourish and strengthen all who receive it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannab Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Great Job Adam and DV! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimblue Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Great job Adam and all the DV'ers who participated!!!!! That just makes your heart smile Happy Friday everyone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose 57 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Very nice Adam & everyone here!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg1 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Wow. Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LineMan Steve Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Impressive indeed. That you conceived of this idea to help, formulated a plan, put it into action and saw it thru (more like pushed it thru) shows that you are the "can-do" man to stick with throughout this Dinar Ride we are on, meaning this successful effort with this Dominica Project is directly related to my confidence in your efforts to guide us thru to good results with our Dinar Investment. I'll continue riding here with the group and may we all become successful when we reach our destination. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeC Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 This is exactly the kind of thing that makes me so happy that I am a part of this group! Thanks Adam, for everything you take on for us, and to all of those who were able to get behind this wonderful endeavor! What a great way to start my Friday!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrinityeXchange Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 I'm proud to be a part of this 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosterbglee Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Your a good Man Adam! Thank you for your time, all of us at DV are quite proud to be a part of this relief effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIZIOIRAQI Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 God is Good! Adam his Obedient Servant ! Amen & Amen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funinsun Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Thank you for setting this up for us so we could help and thanks for all the pictures and narrative. It is a great way to start Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reveldog Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 SWEEEEET!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperboy Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Wow, that was amazing! You are the go-to man around here, Adam. Thanks so much for the extra effort you put in to make this happen. And thanks to everyone that jumped in and helped, whether it was with donations, phone calls, whatever. Awesome group! And yes, that "faded yellow" container is a sight to behold! I'm sure all the VIP'rs and the OSI'rs will know what Adam is talking about on the "faded yellow" comment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLadiesDaddy Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Welcome to the wonderful world of commodity relocation specialist. Otherwise known as a truck driver.LOL I had to laugh Adam, as I read how you had to deal with the things I deal with everyday, after 23 years you just take it in stride. I am so honored to be a part of this myself. Thank you very much Adam and God bless you. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FL-LAT Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Thanks for the follow-up and pictures, fantastic! You are truly amazing at getting the job done. Many blessings to you and your family..."thank you" will never be enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sage449 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Blessings to you Adam for taking the initiative to drive this to closure. You brought tears to my eyes. GBY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveG Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPhi Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) Adam I know a former missionary to Dominica that knows of some churches you could get in contact with. I'm sure he would have a lot of information for you. Ed R............- xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Edited October 10, 2015 by TexasGranny removed personal info for security/privacy reasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmerchant Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Adam, Thank you! Very happy to be part of this effort and this group of positive-minded people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zedra Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 God bless you Adam and all involved to make this happen. Really great to see the pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6ly410 Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 Nice ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivesman Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 THANK YOU! I started reading the list of things we're sending to Grammaolive and got a bit choked up, so I stopped and said you can read the rest on your login. My hat is off to you and ALL of the fine folks that made this happen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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