D’Angel assists single mom affected by Hurricane Melissa

After hearing the emotional plea from Chuddian Williams, a single mother of five, whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Melissa, dancehall star D'Angel felt compelled to assist.

"I know I can't save the world but I'm just saving who I can bit by bit. I ask God to lead me to the right people and allow me to be able to help the ones who are mostly affected and who really need it," she told THE STAR as she broke into tears.

"I try to remain strong even in the midst of chaos because when I meet these victims and they have so much hope, I can't go in tears. But whenever I speak about it, it's just heart-rending because sometimes I want to help more and I don't have the resources," she added.

The artiste has been assisting victims of Hurricane Melissa by delivering care packages, household supplies and hot meals through her joint partnership with Triple T'z Eatery. She said that going forward, she will focus more on helping to rebuild houses.

D'Angel said the team has already made stops in St James, Trelawny and Westmoreland but the viral cry from Williams resonates with her deeply.

"Her story is really heart-wrenching, it's touching and is gonna impact the world. It really hits home and it was from tears to joy when I met Chuddian," D'Angel said. "To see that she has to be selling recycled bottles and scrap metal to provide for her family, she's obviously struggling to make ends meet. But she never let that weigh her down."

The artiste's Angels Foundation team also layered Williams' roof with tarpaulin as a temporary fix while promising to return for a full reconstruction. Williams expressed gratitude for the items which she said can last her for months.

"D'Angel has come to my rescue and filled me with joy. I want to cry but there is no eye water left to cry but I thank God for answering my prayers," Williams told THE STAR.

Williams, who resides with her 12-year old son and three-year-old daughter, said she has lost everything. In a video that grabbed the nation's attention, weeks following the devastation, Williams was seen in a roofless concrete structure, painfully crying out for help as she exclaimed that at the time, no one had reached out to the residents in her community. The video was also shared by reggae/dancehall artiste, Bugle, who recently delivered a van load of items to Williams while expressing how deeply her cry impacted him. Williams described the assistance and outpouring of love and support as "heaven sent".

D'Angel underscored that after spreading love through her charity for years, no other disaster or unfortunate event had impacted her like the first-hand sights and stories from Melissa's victims.

"It make me look at life differently and give me a new sense of direction personally. I've always been humble but this top up the humbleness even more and make me even more grateful for everything that I have," she said.

With her son Marco Dean playing a pivotal role in the one-on-one interactions, especially with children, D'Angel said some of the experiences were a "wake-up call" to him.

D'Angel said she's now on a mission to raise funds to help "change and rebuild lives while bringing hope to our kids, elders and families on a whole".

"I'm open to any partnerships, fund-raising ideas and just any support/resources necessary to change someone's story one step at a time," she said, while expressing gratitude to her donors and supporters.