“I was scared, and my sister was scared,” said 9-year-old Rashaun as he talked about the night Hurricane Melissa hit the island.
A team from relief partner CRI spotted him and his sister on the road toward a hillside overlooking Montego Bay. Their home was destroyed, and their dad was busy collecting the scraps so he could begin rebuilding.
“We get storms but never anything like this before,” said the dad. He explained how he took his family somewhere safe as the storm approached. “When we came back, everything was gone.”
The team from CRI provided a tarp, solar lights, an audio Bible, and other supplies.
“But a tarp just isn’t enough,” said CRI’s Ferrin Cole, citing the vast needs for everything from plywood and nails to food and water. “The need is overwhelming.”
Meanwhile, our partners from SOMEBODY CARES CARIBBEAN also traveled to Montego Bay over the weekend to clean out a church that will serve as a community resource hub. During the trip, which took three hours each way, they distributed relief bags to families in Westmoreland and Montego Bay.
“We are also working with SOMEBODY CARES BALTIMORE to load up and ship a container within the next few days,” says SCA Vice President Jodie Chiricosta.
The container will deliver over 380,000 fortified rice meals donated by STARLIGHT MINISTRIES in Minneapolis, along with additional food items from HEART RESPONSE and ALLY FORCE, also in Minneapolis, along with shelter materials, baby supplies, and hygiene items collected by our Baltimore chapter.
The container will arrive in Kingston and supplies will be distributed by SC Caribbean to our churches, ministries, and partners working on the ground.
HOW YOU CAN BRING HOPE
Your help can:
- $100 – Provide food and water for a family for one week
- $250 – Supply a community with a communication device or solar charging system
- $500 – Help purchase tarps and temporary shelter for displaced families
- $1,000 – Equip a local church to serve as a communication/ relief hub
- $5,000 – Cover a portion of transport and shipping for relief containers
- $10,000+ – Help provide shelter and repair homes in devastated communities
Every gift—large or small—brings tangible help to people who are living in incredibly challenging circumstances.
PLEASE PRAY
- For protection, strength, and wisdom for our teams on the ground.
- For peace and stability in communities under martial law.
- For provision and restoration for families who have lost everything.
- For God’s presence to be felt powerfully through His Church as they serve and shine His light.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer, compassion, and generosity. Together, we can bring relief, restore dignity, and help rebuild lives in Jesus’ name.