How WCK Supported Jamaicans Rebuilding After Hurricane Melissa
WCK’s Relief Team has concluded its response in Jamaica after serving 6.7 million meals over nearly three months.
In late October, as Hurricane Melissa churned through the Caribbean, our Relief Team pre-positioned in Miami. We monitored forecasts, studied maps, prepared supplies, and loaded a chartered flight with equipment—ready to move the moment it was safe to land on the island. Meanwhile, our partners on the ground in Jamaica, many of whom we’ve worked alongside before, were hard at work cooking for their fellow Jamaicans. They served meals to families who evacuated to shelters outside the storm’s direct path, pausing only as the hurricane crossed the island.
Once the full team united, WCK’s network of restaurant partners—alongside Chef Corps members, volunteers, and Relief Team staff—quickly scaled operations to reach the hardest-hit parishes on the island’s western side. The first meals served after Melissa were iconic Jamaican patties: a beloved, easy-to-carry local staple.
As we connected with community members and gained a clearer picture of the damage, our teams expanded into the most severely impacted areas, including Westmoreland Parish. Reaching these communities required creativity and persistence. With many roads destroyed or inaccessible, teams relied on 4×4 vehicles, motorcycles, planes, and helicopters to deliver meals to families cut off by the storm.
A map of our flight paths from WCK facilities to various distribution sites across Jamaica
To further expand our reach, WCK established two large-scale Field Kitchens—one in Montego Bay and another in Negril—where local community members and volunteers came together to cook for their neighbors.
Chef Corps member Keisha Browne joined the team at our Montego Bay Field Kitchen, playing a critical role in cooking thousands of meals each day for local families. Read more about her experience here.
I was truly astonished by the kitchen and by how seamlessly WCK was able to navigate such a complex project. The experience left me feeling genuinely inspired.
Chef Keisha Browne, WCK Chef Corps
As communities began rebuilding and regaining access to cooking supplies, WCK and our partners continued to work closely with local leaders, ensuring that they had what they needed every step of the way. After families were able to cook for themselves again, we also distributed over 36,000 meal kits across the island. These kits included pasta, rice, beloved local spices, and various proteins, and were specially designed so that families could restart cooking the meals that bring them comfort.
We know that meals don’t start on the stove—they start with the people producing the ingredients. We saw how much local producers had lost during the storm, so our teams made the decision to support them, not just with short-term aid but also as part of longer-term recovery efforts. We worked hand-in-hand with Jamaican beekeepers, to provide meaningful support—sugar to help feed the bees, as well as essential materials for hive care and honey production. We distributed seeds for local families to plant, as many people had lost their crops to the storm. When fishers told us that they had lost access to the necessary supplies to feed themselves and their families, we helped them get those tools so that they could begin again. Projects like these help communities do more than recover—they help them get back on their feet, stronger and more resilient than before.
Through every phase, WCK worked hand-in-hand with local leaders to ensure Jamaican communities had what they needed to recover. As Jamaica recovers from Hurricane Melissa, we are proud to have supported local communities in their efforts to connect, rebuild, and restore.
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