Local firefighter/paramedic volunteers time in Jamaica

Leigh Brewer worked with group Food for the Poor

Leigh Brewer, a Beavercreek Twp. fire lieutenant, reads to a child in Jamaica. Brewer, who lives in Riverside, recently volunteered with the organization Food for the Poor to provide health care to the poor in areas of Jamaica where access to doctors, nurses and pharmacists is limited. Contributed photo

Contributed photo Leigh Brewer, a Beavercreek Twp. fire lieutenant, reads to a child in Jamaica. Brewer, who lives in Riverside, recently volunteered with the organization Food for the Poor to provide health care to the poor in areas of Jamaica where access to doctors, nurses and pharmacists is limited. Contributed photo

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Staff report 12:22 PM Wednesday, December 16, 2009

RIVERSIDE — Beavercreek Twp. Fire Lt. Leigh Brewer recently volunteered with the organization Food for the Poor to provide health care to the poor in areas of Jamaica where access to doctors, nurses and pharmacists is limited.

The firefighter/paramedic, who lives in Riverside, said she was so energized by the trip that she found it hard to sleep the first few nights after she returned.

“The people there just really touched me. You can’t leave those places without feeling loved,” she said.

The group provided care to almost 300 patients during four days — treating those with high blood pressure, diabetes, upper respiratory tract infections and skin conditions, as well as other medical issues.

During the trip, the medical team worked at the clinics in the mornings and visited local orphanages and homes for the handicapped and elderly in the afternoons.

Food for the Poor, an interdenominational Christian organization, feeds millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. It also provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance.

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