News & Updates

Port Canaveral Teams Up with Nonprofit Organization for Bahamas Relief

- Port Canaveral

Crossroads Alliance will collect, store and stage supplies from Port’s
Maritime Center and Titusville Logistics Center

The Canaveral Port Authority has joined forces with Ocala, FL-based Crossroads Alliance & Ministries to aid in humanitarian relief efforts for the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas. Crossroads Alliance is expanding its relief response capabilities with nearly 60,000 square feet of warehouse and office space donated by the Port Authority to the non-profit organization.
“The people of The Bahamas are continuing to struggle in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian,” Port Director and CEO Capt. John Murray stated. “Providing Port resources to a well-regarded humanitarian agency such as Crossroads was an opportunity for us to participate in a meaningful and useful way in this important effort of support for an arduous recovery and rebuilding process in the islands.”

Steve Ewing, lower left, president and founder of Crossroads Alliance & Ministries, stands with Bahamian relief supplies. Canaveral Port Authority’s Titusville Logistics Center is one of two Port properties that will temporarily house supplies for The Bahamas that were donated to the Ocala-based nonprofit organization.
(Photo: Canaveral Port Authority)

“Crossroads Alliance & Ministries had exceeded capacity for donations at our Ocala warehouse,” Crossroads President and Founder Steve Ewing said. In response, the Canaveral Port Authority entered into an agreement with Crossroads to provide at no charge to the organization more than 56,000 square feet of warehouse space at the Port Canaveral Logistics Center on U.S. 1 in Titusville, and nearly 1,800 square feet of office and storage space at the Port’s Maritime Center building in Cape Canaveral for collecting and staging relief supplies bound for The Bahamas.

Ewing stated, “This is the perfect place, perfect facility and together, we’re changing a lot of lives.”

Diane Luensmann, Vice President, Government and Strategic Communications with the Canaveral Port Authority, said the Port was directed to Crossroads Alliance after discussions with organizations working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“Crossroads has an impeccable reputation,” Luensmann told the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners during a briefing at its Sept. 25 meeting. “It’s a highly regarded nonprofit that is expert in creating the response and managing logistics for humanitarian relief operations.”

Crossroads had been flying supplies to hurricane-ravaged areas earlier this month but has since transitioned to water-borne delivery of heavy equipment and supplies, Ewing said. The nonprofit has its own staff, supplemented by volunteers, and its own fleet of trucks, forklifts and other equipment needed to move and deliver supplies.

Crossroads hopes that cruise lines and barge operators will ferry its donations to stricken regions. Norwegian Cruise Lines will take approved donations from Port Canaveral and Central Florida on a space-available basis. Carnival Cruise Line is working with Riviera Beach-based Tropical Shipping to carry donated supplies from the Port of Palm Beach to the Bahamas, and Crossroads has the capability to deliver supplies to Palm Beach.

To contribute or volunteer with Crossroads Alliance & Ministries, go to https://www.crossroadsam.org/

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Led by the elected five-member Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners and Port Director and CEO, Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral is one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting ports. A world-class gateway for cruises, cargo, recreation and logistics, as well as a gateway to new frontiers, including space, Port Canaveral hosts more than 4.5 million revenue cruise passengers through its state-of-the-art terminals and more than 6 million of tons of cargo annually, including bulk, break-bulk, project, and containerized. The Port is strategically located to service all Florida markets, as well as the Southeastern United States. In addition to world class cruise facilities and diverse cargo operations, Port Canaveral offers more recreational opportunities than all other Florida deep-water seaports combined, including public parks, free public boat ramps, marinas, an entertainment district, and the seven-story interactive exhibit and event venue Exploration Tower. For more information, visit www.PortCanaveral.com

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